Spirit Detective Archives 4: Lost Ally, New Enemy
by CoreyKartana
Summary: Corey Kartana is left alone to lead the Rebel Army and raise the infant, Cory Maison, the son of Derek and Jade Maison. With his best friend dead, Corey, Liz Rain, and John Wolfe must defeat Darkine on their own...
1. Reminiscences

_**Chapter 1**_

_Reminiscences_

_Corey yawned quietly and stretched upwards towards the red sky. The young man, age nineteen, was wearing a brown t-shirt, blue jeans, tennis shoes, and a pair of black leather gloves with the fingers cut out. His short brown hair was spiked up, and he looked out towards the horizon with hazel eyes. He was the youngest general and the leader of the Rebel Army, and he was up in a nearby tree branch, resting. He was lost in his thought as he stared outwards._

_Six months…where has the time gone?_ He thought to himself as he watched the sun go down over the horizon. He smiled lightly, _So much has happened…_ Corey closed his eyes as he began look back at the last half of the year…

******

"No, dammit, I refuse!" Corey yelled, turning away from Liz and John.

"Corey! It's been over a month and there is no sign of Derek or anything!" John protested. It had been 5 weeks since Derek and Corey's assault on Lee's Tower…and since Derek's disappearance. The three of them were all in Liz's bedroom, where the baby now resided, who was sleeping blissfully at the moment.

Corey had returned to the Rebel Base, injured and with no energy left. He didn't utter a word to anyone. It took him three days to talk to Liz and John about what had happened… about the evil he had seen in Derek…and how both he and Lee disappeared.

Soon after that Corey was given control of the entire Rebel Army. The troops welcomed him warmly, but Corey didn't know what to do at this point. He still had to take in the death of Jade and the possibility of death of Derek…although he refused to admit it. There was also young Cory Maison, son of Derek and Jade. He was parentless now. Corey and Liz were given the position of his godparents when Jade first had him, leaving them the responsibility of raising the child. They both were happy to do it, but they hadn't expected to have too.

"Come on, Corey…he's gone. We all have to accept that!" Liz said, tears forming in her eyes, "Even if we don't want too…"

"We never found his body! He might be able to come back! Look at me! I did!" Corey protested.

"He would have come back if he was alive…" John said, trying to reason with the young man, "…and we can't ask Koenma, seeing as we can't get in touch with Spirit World, thanks to Darkine's soldiers."

Corey frowned and turned away from his two friends. He didn't want to hear it, but he knew that they had to do something. The soldiers and residents of the Rebel Base all wanted to know what happened to Derek. Corey, Liz nor John had said anything on the matter, only that Corey was now in charge and Derek was gone.

"Fine…" Corey said, admitting defeat, "We'll make the announcement at dinner…Derek's memorial will be held in five days…"

******

The news of Derek's death did not come to much of a surprise to the Rebel Base, although that didn't make the matter any easier. All of them knew of the prophecy: "Only a Kartana and a Maison can defeat the Darkine", and with Derek gone…well, it didn't leave much hope.

Corey himself made the announcement, although he didn't want to do it. Liz and John had both decided it would be for the best if their new leader did it. He left shortly afterwards, leaving Liz and John to answer any questions. He couldn't stay in that place. He had to get out of the base and get some air.

The Rebel Army now resided on top of a large hill. If Darkine attacked, they'd have the advantage over him. It was large enough to keep all five of the Mobile Fortresses on top of it. What was really nice about the area was that it had a small patch of forestry, giving Corey a nice spot to hang out.

The young man walked past the large fortresses and up towards the patch of woods, and closed his eyes as he sat underneath a tree.

_I'm sorry, Derek…I failed both you and Jade. What the hell kind of hero does that make me?_ The thoughts of his two best friends being killed were tearing Corey apart internally. He had trouble sleeping at night…and then there was the baby.

Little Cory had no idea that either of his parents were dead, and it left Liz and Corey parenting the boy. He felt terrible for him, and once again the sense of guilt for his parents death weaved its way back into Corey's soul.

He sighed lightly, "Sorry, kid…I'll do my best…to raise you like your dad would…"

******

The memorial service was held as scheduled. It was similar to Jade's funeral, and a plaque was placed with his name on it next to one with Jade's, and at the top of both of them read "In Loving Memory of Two Brave Warriors".

As with Jade's, the people of the base all let a flower fly into the wind in Derek's remembrance. Even little Cory, who was carried in Liz's arms, let go of a flower, giggling as it flew off. Corey was the last to let his go, and sighed quietly as it floated away.

"Good-bye, Derek…I guess it's for real this time." Corey said, smiling lightly. Liz walked up to him and smiled, holding out a gurgling baby towards him.

Corey laughed. "What do you want, kiddo?" He took the child from Liz and held him, then blinked, "Hold on…" and Corey's eyes suddenly widened.

Liz blinked. "What is it, Corey?"

"'A Kartana and a Maison…Liz! What if… what if Cory was…" He looked down at the smiling baby boy, and Liz quickly caught on.

"Cory Maison…'A Kartana and a Maison…' Oh my God! You don't really think that Cory is…?" she asked, looking towards her friend.

Corey lightly shook his head. "I have no idea…but with Derek gone…it would make sense, right?"

"But Corey…he's just a baby!" Liz said, clearly worried about the whole idea, "Are you seriously planning on using him in battle??"

"Of course not…I don't want to, but I mean…what if it is our only choice?" He looked down at the child again, who was curling up against him, which made the young man smile, "He _is_ Derek and Jade's son…and they were two of the strongest demons around. If he's got their genes…then he will be a powerful warrior, but I'd wait until he was old enough."

"And how old is that, Corey?"

Corey sighed. "I don't know…Derek and I started Demon Slaying together when I was fourteen…but I don't want to put Cory against Darkine at such a young age…" He sighed again and handed the now sleeping baby back to Liz.

"This world is completely screwed up, Liz…it doesn't care that a child has to fight to help its survival…" He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples,

"But if it does come down to Cory and I fighting Darkine, I'll protect him with my life…and train him to Derek's and my level. I promise…he won't fall…"

******

A few more months passed, and life was peaceful. It seemed as though Darkine was taunting them with his power…at least that's what it seemed like to Corey. The others were all just enjoying the peace at the base. Even with the calm that had befallen the base, Corey never stopped training.

Every day, from 7am to 1pm, Corey was out extending his limits. Each day he got a little stronger, and he knew he would need every last ounce of strength to be able to defeat Darkine. The Spirit Cuffs, an old favorite of Corey's, had been on him for over three months. Liz and John both warned Corey that this might be hazardous to his health, but he didn't care. He needed strength to survive.

******

Corey opened his eyes to find that the sun had set. Still up in the tree, he hadn't even realized how late it had gotten. He smirked lightly and jumped down from atop of the tree.

_Must have been really spacing… _He thought to himself and walked back towards the base, _Six months…and not a single attack on the base. What the hell does that mean? Has Darkine given up? No…he's really taunting us. Without Derek around, he thinks were useless…_ Corey stopped and closed his eyes, head down. A grin spread out on his lips.

"So, Darkine…you think I'm useless?! How's this for useless?!" He brought his hands up into the air, and swung them downward, unleashing his full Spiritual Energy.

Through out the entire area, through the base and probably to the closest colony, which was about 30 miles away, Corey's spiritual energy could be felt. The center of the energy, Corey, was so powerful that one without a strong enough power wouldn't even be able to approach him without getting injured. He stopped the flow of power and let out a sigh, his mind going back to when he first felt Darkine's power.

_It's still not enough…I don't have the strength to beat Darkine yet…I'm almost up to Derek and Yusuke's levels, but neither of them could beat Darkine…_

"Corey!!" Liz yelled, running outside with John at her side, "What's wrong? Why'd you unleash all that power?! Did someone attack you?" She asked, getting up next to him and checking him for injures.

Corey laughed. "No, no…just seeing how far I've gotten, and how I compare to Darkine."

John put his hand to his chin, rubbing it lightly. "And?"

"And…" Corey said, smiling lightly. He put his hands behind his head, "…I'm not even close!" He laughed, which worried Liz and John.

"I hardly find that funny, Corey." Liz frowned.

"Sorry," he said, smiling still, "But there's no reason to worry about it. What would that accomplish?" He scratched the back of his head and looked back to the base.

"You always amaze me, Corey…" John said, scratching the back of his neck.

Corey blinked and looked at him. "Why's that?"

"Because…you've only been here for a year, and you've earned the respect of everyone, and the strength of a leader." John smiled and patted Corey's shoulder, "I'm sure Derek would be proud of you."

Corey smiled lightly, "Thanks, John. I appreciate that." Corey looked over at Liz, "Where's the rugrat?"

Liz chuckled. "With Ellen. She's a wonderful babysitter. She's great with kids."

"Good to hear…well, let's get going then." Corey smiled and began to walk off, Liz and John following. Corey began to feel an attachment towards Cory Maison…as if he was his own son. With Derek and Jade gone, he was pretty much the boy's father, and would raise him like any other father would.

_Not that I'm going to make you call me 'dad' or nothing…I'm gonna tell you your dad and mom's stories…and how we were Spirit Detectives…and life before this miserable world. Who knows, kiddo…you might be the one who changes all of it._


	2. Visiting Old Acquaintances

**Chapter 2**

_Visiting Old Acquaintances_

Corey and Liz walked through the doors of the Command Center, spotting John who was looking over some paperwork.

"What's up, John?" Corey asked, walking over to him and leaning over his shoulder at the papers.

"Ah, Corey. Glad you made it. Look at these." John said, handing over the papers to Corey to get a better look at. The young general skimmed through them, then looked back up at John.

"Okay…what the hell are they?"

Liz sighed and snagged them from him. "They're the supplies lists…" she also skimmed through them, then looked up at the two men. "We're running out of vegetation…" She said.

Although most of the food supplies were made directly in the Mobile Fortresses, during the attack on the base half a year ago, one of the agricultural facilities was destroyed, forcing them to have to find their own sources of food in the wilderness. With there being the orchard like forest nearby, it was easy to get plantation type foods, but they were running low. With so many people in the base, and only fifty acres of food, six months worth of food was about all they could get.

"So where do we go then?" Corey asked, "We were extremely lucky to come across this place. Are we going to come back?"

John shrugged. "It's possible…but we have to prepare to leave soon. The vegetation is important for the health of the soldiers and the people. We have to think about them, Corey. From what a few scouts have told me, there is a place about one hundred and fifty miles from here that has about twenty acres of food. It's not a lot, but it will last until we get the vegetation area here fixed."

"John, we really gotta get those working! The workers said they'd be operational again after four months. What's the hold up?" Corey asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Complications…lack of supplies…you name it, Corey. Life isn't that easy nowadays, you know that." Liz informed him, taking over the conversation.

"Well isn't this a bunch of shit…" Corey snapped, jamming his hands into his pockets.

"Corey what the hell is the matter?" John asked, frowning. "You've been acting strange for the past few weeks."

Corey sighed and looked away. "It's nothing, all right? Just…a lotta stuff…" He glanced out the door, and then sighed lightly. "Hey, John…can you hold down the fort for a few days?"

John blinked. "What? Why?"

Corey looked over at him, smiling lightly. "I wanna go visit someone."

******

John and Liz watched as Corey took off towards the east from the top of the Mobile Fortress.

"Well, he said he was going to go visit Arthur…but do you believe him?" John asked Liz, looking over at her.

Liz smiled. "I think that's part of it, but Corey probably just wants some time away from responsibility. He's been forced into a leader's role at such a young age, and after the death of his two good friends. I don't blame him at all."

"I guess so," John said, putting his right hand in his pocket, "But he does have the responsibility now as leader of the Rebel Army. I hope he can manage."

Liz looked over at him and grinned. "Trust me. I know Corey, and if there is one thing he can do is handle tough situations."

******

"Corey…I'm glad you came to visit. How have you been?" Logan asked. Corey had returned for the first time to the colony in which he had arrived at when he first awoke in this new world.

"I've been good, Logan. How about you?" Corey asked, walking along side his friend.

"Things have been slow around this part, Corey…for the past months there hasn't been any sign of Darkine or his troops…it's eerie." Logan replied, glancing around the colony. A few people waved at Corey as he passed by, whom in response waved back.

"I agree… it is strange that it all ended after Derek's… disappearance." Corey turned to look at Logan, "How is Arthur?"

"Fine… worried. He hasn't been himself lately… but that's to be expected, with the prophecy being broken…" Logan sighed, but Corey smacked him on the back.

"That…isn't necessarily true…" Corey said, "I need to see Arthur. Is he still in his usual place?"

"Of course. He hardly leaves that hut of his." Logan said, curious as to what Corey had in mind, but he knew the man fairly well, and knew that he wouldn't give up any secrets.

"Alrighty. Thanks pal. I'll see you when I get done." Corey gave a wave and ran off towards the elder's hut, leaving Logan to just watch and wonder.

******

"Corey Kartana…it has been awhile…" Arthur said, looking up at Corey. The old man had aged rapidly since Corey last visited, and it worried him. His face was shallow and he had bags under his eyes.

"Hey, Old Man…you doing okay?" Corey asked, taking a seat next to him.

The old man chuckled and stirred the fire in his hut. As per usual, it felt like they were in a rainforest inside the place, and Corey had no choice but to take his jacket off.

"I'll be fine, Corey…thank you. Now, what is it you wish to speak to me about?" Arthur asked, staring over at the man.

"Well…it's about the prophecy. I…I don't think that, just cause Derek is gone, that it has failed." Corey informed him.

Arthur stared at Corey, his eyes lost in thought. "And how is that, my young friend?"

"Well…I think perhaps Derek's son, Cory Maison, may be the 'Maison' in which it speaks of. I mean, it would work, right?" Corey asked, his voice changing to an almost desperate expression now.

"Hmm…" Arthur pondered the thought, and rubbed his beard, "It is possible, yes…but the boy is merely a babe. It would be at least fifteen years before you could even hope to battle with him at your side, Corey…"

Corey nodded slowly. "I know that…and if it were up to me, I wouldn't even have the boy help me. I don't want him to be burdened with the fate of the world like—"

"—Like you, Corey?" Arthur finished the man's sentence for him. Corey looked down at the ground, and Arthur merely smiled, "It is true that you have been given a great responsibility, Corey Kartana, but remember this. If you don't fight…then who will? Will you pass the burden on to another?"

"Of course not!" Corey exclaimed, "You're right, though…if I don't, who will?"

Arthur smiled up at him, "Exactly. And it seems as though young Cory Maison will have to pick up that responsibility, as well. The prophecy does not lie, Corey. Only a Kartana and a Maison can defeat Darkine, and you and the boy are the only ones with those names."

******

Corey sighed as he walked away from the colony. Logan and Arthur had both asked if he wished to stay for the night, but Corey wasn't in the mood for company. He'd walk the night and then run back to the Rebel Base in the morning. Besides…there was a certain spot that he wanted to visit that night. He had in his hand a bouquet of flowers, and was going a little off course to where the Rebel Base was held up.

******

"Hey…Thief. What's up?" Corey asked, standing over the gravestone, which read "Jade Maison". The young man lay down the flowers in front of the stone and closed his eyes, giving Jade a small prayer in his mind. He sighed and sat down on the grass near her stone.

"I'm sorry that this is the first time that I've actually gotten to visit. I've been busy, after all, being the new head general of the Rebel Army." He sighed lightly, "But…I guess you probably knew that already, right? I hope you and Derek found a nice place in Spirit World together…if that's even possible, what with the war going on there, too. I guess nowhere is safe now…

"I guess that whole reason that I came here was to ask your forgiveness. For everything, really, but for one main thing: I'm sorry, Jade, but I'm pretty sure that Cory is going to have to be the one to fight along side me against Darkine. I see no other way…and for that I apologize." He stood up and stretched lightly,

"But I promise you…I'll protect your son with my life. I swear it." And with one final nod, Corey turned away from the grave, then took off towards the location of the Rebel Base.

******

"Corey! You're back!" Liz exclaimed, smiling happily and wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

Corey grinned. "Hey, Liz. What's shakin'?" Corey arrived the next morning at the Rebel Base, happy to be back with his friends and comrades. John and Liz had met him at the entrance of the Mobile Fortress, John holding Cory in his arms.

"Feel better, Corey?" John asked, smiling at him.

Corey nodded. "Yup. I think I'm ready to finally take full responsibility for the Rebel Army…as the head general."

"Oh, Corey! I'm so proud of you!" Liz said, smiling wide at him.

"As am I, Corey, and you know Liz and I will help you every step of the way." John told him, also smiling.

"Thanks, guys…I'm pretty much sure that I'm gonna need all the help that I can get!" He laughed a little, and then looked back at John, still holding little Cory, "May I?"

John smirked. "Of course." He handed the baby over to Corey, who stirred a little and looked up at him.

"Hey, kiddo." He said, smiling at him.

"…Hi…" Came the words of the child, making all three of the adults blinks.

"Did…he just talk?" Liz asked.

"I…think so…" John said.

Corey laughed and held up in the air, making the baby giggle. "Good job, kiddo! Your first word!" The baby laughed and laughed and repeated his word.

"Hi! Hi! Hi!" Was all he said. Whether he actually knew what he was saying was beyond Corey, but that didn't matter. He was excited for the boy.

Well…he can talk…and he's happy, so I guess I'm not doing that bad of a job.

_******_

After Corey had put the baby to bed and said good night to Liz, Corey did not go straight to his room. He couldn't sleep. Something was bothering him, and he didn't know what. The motivation from his friends had helped him a lot, but something was still bugging him…as if there was supposed to be something there that really wasn't. He could only imagine it was Derek and Jade, but for some reason that was off.

_There gone, Corey…snap out of it…you can't go crazy now…_ He continued down the path towards the orchard woods, knowing that the next day they would have to leave this area. He wanted one final visit. He went towards the tree and leapt up into it, taking a seat on the nearby branch and closed his eyes.

Guess I just gotta keep on goin',,,

_"Corey…"_

Corey's eyes shot open and he looked around. "What the hell?" he asked aloud.

_"Corey…"_ came the voice again. Corey jumped down from out of the tree and held up his fists.

"Who's there?!" He shouted, looking around, not being able to tell where the voice was coming from. It sounded as though it was coming from all directions. "Show yourself!"

_"Corey…you failed…you failed me…"_ This time the voice was behind him. A cold chill ran up Corey's spine. His body was shaking uncontrollably. He turned around again, but found no one standing there.

_"You failed me…you failed her…"_ The voice was beginning to get recognizable, and the fact that he realized who it was made it even harder for Corey to believe it.

"D-Derek?" He asked quietly, nearly afraid at what the answer will be.

_"You lied to me Corey…you said you'd protect her with your life…"_ Corey slammed his eyes shut and covered his ears. His head was pounding.

"Derek! I'm sorry! I…I didn't mean…"

_"You'll pay for this, Corey…"_

"Derek! Is that really you?!" Corey yelled, still covering his ears. It was panic. He was seriously freaking out at this. His friend, who has been dead for almost a year, talking to him from the grave.

_"You'll pay…I will make sure of it…"_

"Nooooo!!!" Corey screamed, until he finally passed out from the strain on his head…

******

"Corey! Corey, wake up!"

Corey stirred slowly, his head still pulsating from before. He opened his eyes to see John leaning down beside him. The sun was up just barely over the horizon.

"John?" Corey asked, sitting up with John's help.

"Corey what the hell happened? I found you here this morning! Did you fall asleep out here?" John asked, his voice filled with concern for his friend.

"I…don't know. I mean, I guess that's what happened, but there was this voice…it sounded like Derek's…" Corey looked up at John who gave him a look of worry.

"Corey…you know that's impossible. Derek has been gone for seven months…"

"I know that, John, I'm not stupid…but that's just what I heard." Corey stood up, a little shaky. For whatever reason, the voice had drained a lot of his energy.

"Okay…well, hey…we gotta get ready, man. We move today." John said, and Corey nodded.

"Right. Let's get going then…" He said, and John nodded back, walking off. Corey started to walk, but hesitated and looked back at the orchard.

_Derek…I know that was your voice, but how? Was it all just a dream?_


	3. Voices from the Graves

**Chapter 3**

_Voices from the Grave_

The plan to move the Rebel Army went smoothly enough. There was no interference by Darkine's army, which made the transaction even better. The process to load up only took a day, and the Rebel Army left the site the very night.

"It'll take about a day to reach the spot, so we're going to travel through the night." John informed Corey during the process. Corey only nodded. His mind was still on the voice that he had heard in the orchard. It frightened him.

There's no way that Derek's alive…he would have came back…right? Unless…unless he really did blame me for all of this, but why? I tried…dammit, all…

******

Corey stood at the top of the Mobile Fortress, watching the ground pass below them. Troops, as a precaution, were either running along side the fort, or placed on all entrances that were accessible while it moved. The base only went around 50 miles per hour, but the breeze was still cool on Corey's face. His hair whipped in the air, and he adjusted his jacket for warmth. Liz had given him a scarf for his neck, which right now he was very much appreciating. Tetsaru was also sheathed at his side.

"At least it's a nice night…" Corey mumbled. The night sky was clear, and there was a full moon. They must have entered the Demon World, because the night sky was turning a dull red.

"It's sad to think that no one even notices that anymore… that the two worlds have inter-joined." A voice said from behind Corey. He turned to see Liz behind him, to his relief.

"Liz? What're you doing up?" Corey asked, "You know that I got watch duty tonight."

She smiled. "I know, but I'm a little worried about you, Corey, with you passing out last night and all."

Corey rolled his eyes. "I didn't pass out. I fell asleep, and John's a bastard for telling you that."

"Don't get mad at John, Corey. I was worried because you weren't in your room that morning, that's all." Liz informed him, leaning against the railing of the roof, "Besides, it's not like it's any bid deal, right?" Corey remained silent. "Right? Corey?"

Corey stared off. "I dunno, Liz…I dreamt…I dreamt that Derek was speaking to me…and he blamed me for everything that's happened…"

Liz turned and looked at him. "Corey! I thought we were over this! Everything that happened with Jade and Derek wasn't your fault!"

Corey glanced at her. "I know that, Liz…I've come to terms with what's happened, but it just seemed so real, ya know? Ugh, I don't know, Liz…"

"Dreams can seem real, Corey, but you and I both know that Derek is gone, along with Jade. There is no bringing them back from the dead, even if the Spirit World was accessible."

"But at least I'd know if he was truly gone!" Corey protested, stepping away from the railing and stretching upward. "I dunno…I just want to beat Darkine and be done with it."

Liz laughed. "That's easier said then done."

"True story…but still, I'm getting stronger each and every day. By my guess, I'll be at about Derek's power in a few months, but that's still not good enough."

Liz moved from her spot and touched Corey's shoulder. "I know you can do it, Corey. You're really the only one who can. Good night." She smiled lightly and left the top of the fortress, leaving Corey to his guard duties, but that was hardly on his mind.

"If you say so, Liz, but sometimes I feel like I can't even do it…"

******

The next day the Mobile Fortresses made their stop in the grassy plains of the demonic realm. It had a river, and a nice spot with some vegetation…all that was needed to survive for a few more months, but to Corey it all seemed like just borrowed time. They just kept running away from Darkine and his armies, but really wasn't that all they could do at this time? Run?

Corey wasted no time in getting re-started with his training. He started with a 20 mile sprint through out the area, not only to train but to get to know the relative area. After that he had a sparring match with John, without the use of spiritual powers, of course. Then, he broke for a bite to eat, followed by his spiritual training, which involved intense meditation. In his mind, he battled Darkine with such intent that every hit that Darkine made on him was real.

******

_The world that Corey saw was pure darkness. In the center of it all were Corey and Darkine, battling it off with sword and spiritual powers. Darkine wore his black cloak and hood like he had in their first meeting._

"_You'll never defeat me, Kartana!"__laughed the cruel voice in his head. _

"_Bite me, Darkine!" Corey yelled back, swinging the Tetsaru swiftly in attempts to take down Darkine, who merely side stepped out of the way._

"_You are weak!" Darkine shouted, holding out his palm. An orb of green energy immerged into it, and shot it at Corey, which hit him right in the chest._

"_Gaaaahhh!!" Corey screamed, and felt his body fade away._

******

Corey opened his eyes and breathed heavily, sweat covered his body. He looked around and saw that the sun had already set, and the red night sky was already forming.

"Guess I should head back…don't want those two worrying about me again…" Corey said aloud, referring to Liz and John. He stood up and stretched upwards towards the sky, "Sure is beautiful…the Demon World night…"

"_Corey…"_ Corey's eyes widened again.

"…dammit…" Corey said lowly, head down and glancing around, "Why? Why is this happening?"

"_Corey…you failed…it's all your fault…"_ came the voice once again.

Corey grit his teeth and stood tall, clenching his fists tightly until blood actually dipped down from his palms, glaring at nothingness,

"Knock it off, Derek!" He shouted loudly.

"_Why did you let her die, Corey? You swore you'd protect her with your life…"_

"Shut up! Shut up!!" Without even thinking about it, Corey unleashed his spiritual power. He hadn't truly done so since he had started his training, and his new power surprised even him. The blue energy that orbited around him broke apart the dirt and ground beneath him.

"_Impressive…but it's hardly enough…"_ Out of the shadows of the now red night stepped a hooded figure, wielding a katana.

"Derek!?" Corey shouted, eyes widened as he laid his eyes on his thought to be dead friend.

"You swore to me, Corey…" came the voice of Derek from underneath the cloak, "You said you'd protect Jade with your life…"

Corey swung his arm through air, letting his spirit energy die out, "I tried, Derek! I swear to God I did!"

"Obviously…not hard enough…" and he held his blade at ready. Corey's eyes widened.

"Derek…no…" Corey stammered in disbelief. Here Derek was, his best friend for years, walking towards him with his weapon out and ready to kill him, "Stop…" He tried to muster up his power, but he couldn't…like he was afraid to fight him.

"Die, Corey! Pay for your sins!" and he attacked. Corey couldn't even raise his fists. All he could do was jump out of the way. The speed of his opponent was unfortunately too great for Corey at his current condition of panic. He was able to cut right into Corey's left arm, causing the young man to cry out in pain. He gripped his wounded arm tightly, glaring over at the hooded figure.

"Stop this…please…" Corey said hoarsely. His eyes widened once more when he began to laugh darkly. With amazing speed, the hooded man appeared in front of Corey and stabbed him right in the abdomen. Corey spurted blood from his mouth and fell to his knees. Blood oozed down his body and his vision began to fade.

_Derek…why…_

******

Liz let out a soft sigh as she walked away from the Mobile Fortress. She had left young Cory in the charge of Ellen once again. She was worried about Corey still, wondering where he was. It was long past his normal return time, even when he trained extra hard.

"Darn that boy…I wish he'd learn that he can't always train. People got to eat and sleep, too!" She continued to walk and search for Corey until she stopped dead in her tracks. It was a scream of pain that caused her to do this.

_What the hell!? Corey?!!_ She changed her pace to an all out sprint and gasped at what she saw: a hooded figure, stabbing Corey through the stomach. She watched as Corey dropped to his knees and then to the ground.

"Noo!!" She screamed and ran towards the creature and Corey. The hooded figure looked towards her and took off. She drew one of her throwing knives and watched it run in towards a nearby forestry. In another glance, she watched him reappear past a tree.

"Bastard!!" She yelled, and threw the dagger, using her psychic powers to lead the dagger with incredible speed and accuracy, right in the back of the creature. A roar could be heard as the hood fell off, revealing a now dead three-horned demon. She could only assume it was one of Darkine's soldiers. Ignoring it for now, she turned her attention to a seriously wounded Corey.

"Corey! Corey, hold on! Please!" Liz cried, not wanting to lose another one of her friends. Grabbing the communicator from her belt, she quickly ordered a medical team to the location, "Please don't die!!"

******

Corey slowly opened his eyes, not truly sure where he was or how long he had been out. He tried to move, but felt his body heavy from comatose. He found himself in a bed; a white sheet lay over his body. It took only a moment for him to remember the attack on his life. He threw off the sheet and looked at his bare stomach. A series of stitches were sown into his belly.

_Who found me? A soldier? Maybe Liz or John?_ His eyes focused on the door as a female doctor entered the room.

"General Corey Kartana? Do you know where you are?" she asked him. Slowly, he nodded his head.

"I think so…the infirmary, right?" Corey asked, drowsily.

"Correct. You've been badly injured. A stab wound to the abdomen. You received twenty-three stitches, and you'll be off your feet for at least a week. Understand?" she asked, in a very firm voice.

"Yea…" Corey replied. She nodded to him and turned to exit the room, but Corey stopped her.

"Who helped me?" He asked.

"That would be General Rain, sir." She told him, stopping only to give him a quick look and then exited the room.

"Great…" Corey said, sitting up slowly in his bed and rubbing the back of his head. "She'll never believe me about Derek…damn. Damn…" Just at that moment, the door opened again and it was Liz and John who entered the room this time.

"Corey!" Liz exclaimed, running over to him, "Shouldn't you be resting?"

Corey smirked lightly at her. "I'm not a kid, Liz, as much as you think that I am…" He saw the look of worry on her face and sighed, "I assure you. I'm fine."

"Corey, what happened out there?" John asked, "Liz found you laying in blood…and then there was the demon that she found over you…"

"A demon?!" Corey asked franticly, "What…where is he? What happened to Der—" Corey stopped himself and looked down in frustration.

"It was a three-horned demon. A simple C-Class apparition…" Liz stated, "…and Corey, I hate to say it, but he was hardly a match for you."

Corey looked up at Liz and glared. "Are you saying I was caught off guard Liz?! There was a reason behind it, okay?" A dead silence echoed through out the room. Corey stared back down in his lap. John looked out a nearby window, and Liz stared at Corey. For two minutes no one uttered a word, until finally Corey spoke up.

"I…think it was Derek who attacked me." Corey said in a near whisper. Liz covered her mouth in disbelief. John slowly cast a gaze onto his younger friend,

"Corey…even, even if that was true…why? Why would Derek attack you? You two were best friends." John informed Corey calmly.

"Like I didn't know that, John. Hell, I don't know. He said…" the young general closed his eyes slowly, "he said that I failed him. He and Jade."

"Corey…" Liz dropped her hand and touched her childhood friend's shoulder, "Please…not again. Don't start this again. I thought we had gone through this before…"

"Damn it, Liz, I—" Corey was stopped short as the door opened once again. In walked Lieutenant Clark, a middle-aged man and John's second in command.

"General Wolf. General Rain. General Kartana." He gestured to each of the three individually, then turned to John, "Sir, I have the reports of the autopsy of the demon whom which attacked General Kartana…" Clark's voice lowered when he looked onto Corey, who was glancing the other way now.

"Very good. And?" John asked. Unlike Corey, both he and Liz were eager to hear the report.

"Well, sir, it was a shape-shifting demon whom attacked him."

"A shape-shifter?" Liz repeated, looking over at Corey, whom she noticed had a look of shock on his face.

"No…it…it can't be…" Corey said slowly, unsure of himself. He knew he had seen Derek, he was sure of it.

"Maybe working for Darkine as a spy?" John asked his second in command.

"We're not sure, sir. We will continue to work on finding out." And with a salute to John and then the other two, Clark left the room. Once again, silence surrounded the room.

"Corey…did you hear him?" Liz asked softly, looking at the man. He didn't respond.

"Do you see, Corey? It wasn't really Derek. It was—"

"Shut up!!" Corey roared, causing both Liz and John to step back in shock, "Both of you, just shut up!"

"Corey!" Liz shouted, glaring at him, "Control yourself!"

"No! I'm not going to 'control myself', Liz! I know what I saw!" Corey moved his body so that his feet were hanging off the edge of the bed, and slowly began to ache himself up.

"Don't push yourself…" John tried to say, but Corey wouldn't hear it.

"Forget it, John. I can't do this anymore…" Corey said, standing up. A few drips of sweat dropped from his face.

"What do you mean?" Liz asked quietly.

"I mean…I don't want anything to do with you guys, okay?! I mean…shit, okay, that came out wrong. I…" He slowly moved from his spot and grabbed his shirt and boots, lacing them up as he did,

"I have to go away…" he said finally, looking at his two friends in their eyes, "I have to leave."

"Corey…no you don't. Don't say that!" Liz said, looking on the verge of tears.

"No, Liz…I have to go away and do some things…on my own. No one else. I have to become stronger. John. Liz. I'm leaving my position as head general to you two." Slipping on his leather gloves, he turned away from the two.

"Corey…please…" Liz tried to stop him, moving towards him, but Corey just shook his head.

"Liz…please. Let me do this. I have to know how far I can go on my own, like Derek did before me." He turned and looked at the two, holding up his thumb. "Just take care of things while I'm gone, 'kay?"

And he left, leaving the other two generals to watch as their leader left them in charge to go off on his own.

"What now?" John asked, looking over to Liz.

"I don't know…I really don't." Liz answered honestly, but did not look back at John. Secretly, tears streamed down her eyes as her last childhood friend had left her alone again.


	4. A Time of Change

**Chapter 4**

A Time of Change

Three months had gone by since Corey Kartana had left his post as commanding general in the Rebel Army. John Wolf and Liz Rain, now chiefs in command, worked hard on their defensives of the Mobile Fortresses. Without their now strongest warrior, the two knew that they would be in a grave situation if Darkine was to attack.

With their scientists and spiritual warriors, they worked hard on making a new defense, but what good could any of their own work do without true strength of warriors?

Liz stood at the top of the main fortress, watching as the four mobile fortresses moved forward through the plains of the world. She sighed silently, watching the full moon over head of her.

"I don't get it…" she said aloud, leaning against the railing of the base, "I've worked this hard…for this long…to get the Rebel Army like this. So many strong warriors…but not strong enough. Derek…Jade…Corey…you guys were the backbone, though. Even though I've become stronger through out these years, I need you three. But Jade…then Derek…you two are gone. And Corey…oh, Corey…" She sighed softly and wiped her eyes.

"Corey…come home. We need you here…" She said after a moment of silence.

"Liz?" A voice asked coming from behind the female general. Liz turned around and saw John standing there. She hadn't even noticed him coming up.

"Hi, John. What're you doing here?" She asked lightly, wiping her eyes again. It didn't take John long to notice they were red from tears.

"Nothing, really. Just thought I'd catch the moonlight while we had it." He told her, smiling lightly, withdrawing a cigarette from his jacket and lighting up with a match, "Damn these things are hard to come by…"

Liz smirked. "You know those will kill you." She pointed out, but John merely laughed.

"There are a lot more things in this world that will try to kill me before these. If I die of cancer, I'll be a happy man." The joke was a dark one, but it made Liz laugh lightly.

"If you say so…" she leant against the railing once again, smiling lightly, "Do you think Corey's up right now?"

John walked over to join her, and shrugged lightly. "Probably. Guy never could sleep when he had a lot on his mind…"

There was a moment of silence as the two thought of their comrade. Things had been quiet around the base since Corey had left, except for little Cory, who was fussing more then ever. Liz figured that he missed his father…both of them. Even at such a young age, the infant knew who had looked after him all this time.

"Are the new defensives online?" Liz asked, breaking the still quietness that was in the air.

John nodded, exhaling cigarette smoke into the light wind, "As of about two hours ago. Our troops have been working non-stop to get them online."

"Are they all going to work properly?" She asked, glancing over at him.

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised." He replied, grinning.

"Good to hear."

"Hmm…" John exhaled cigarette smoke, looking up at the moon as he did, "Liz? Can I ask you something?"

Liz blinked and glanced at him. "Sure."

"Do you love Corey?"

"What?!" Liz exclaimed, turning beat red as she did. John looked over to her and laughed.

"It's a legitimate question, isn't it? I mean, here you are, worried sick about the kid. That has to be some kind of love, right?"

Liz calmed down a little and looked up at the moon. "Well, yes, I do, but only as a brother. I've known him since he was a boy, but…well, he's only nineteen years old. I'm thirty-six, now. Perhaps…if we were the same age still…"

John laughed. "I figured as much." He exhaled his cig, "Go get some sleep, Liz. I'll show you the defensives tomorrow."

"All right…" She said, but sounded regrettable about it, like she was waiting for something to happen.

"Don't worry…you're the first person I'll wake up if he comes home." John assured her. Liz smiled, and then went off to bed, leaving John alone on the top of the fortress. He took out the cigarette from his lips and held them between two fingers.

"Corey…you need to shake off your damn stubbornness and get your ass back here…for both Liz and Cory's sake."

_******_

The next morning, Liz met John down in the command center of the base. A few scientists and spiritual energy specialists were there with them, as well were a few of the other high-ranking lieutenants: Ellen, and two men named Frank and Evan.

"Okay…we've managed to get a new defense system up and running," John began, holding up the schematics for their new defensive system. "The basis of it is spiritual pressure. The stronger the spirit energy, the more powerful the attack will be…to a point."

"What do you mean by that?" Ellen asked.

"Well, sadly we can only attack up to A-Class or low S demons with this machine, since are strongest spiritual warrior is myself, and I'm only about an S Rank…if that."

"I see…so if General Kartana ever returns…" Evan started, but Liz finished with a smile.

"Of course. We can use Corey's spirit energy to make are defensives even stronger."

"Correct." John said with a slight smirk. "When he does, that is. I hope that Corey right now is getting even stronger then what he was before, so it can be as strong as we need it, if a Captain were to appear."

Silence embraced the room as the soldiers shuddered at the thought of being attacked by one of Darkine's Captains. The only one who could stand a chance against one of them was John, and even he might not be strong enough to defeat one. Less then a year ago, he and Corey battled a Captain, and it took both of them to defeat it. Sadly, they later learned in the after math that he had been one of the lower ranked Captains, but a Captain nonetheless.

Luckily, John had become stronger since then, but who knew if he was strong enough.

"Anyway," John said, "The defense system is only set up in the main fortress, for now, that is. We hope to have the other three ready to go in a month."

"Why so long?" Frank asked.

"It takes a little over a week to make just one system, and that's working non-stop. It took us months to figure out a full-proof system."

"So…what does it do, John?" asked Liz.

"To be put simply, it is a laser attack system. Once the machine registers the strength of the demon, it will shoot at it until it is killed. Unfortunately, it takes about thirty seconds to register, and can only attack one enemy at a time." John explained.

"How many lasers are there?" Ellen asked.

"There are ten laser cannons operational around the base. Right now, that's all the generators can withstand. If need be, we can put ten more online, but that would stop the entire system after twenty minutes, and we'd have to reboot."

"So that's a last resort." Liz remarked.

"Right." John said.

"Well, it works for me." Evan said, smiling lightly and folding his arms over his chest. "Luckily, we haven't had much worry about demon attacks, since we've continued to keep moving since we lost General Kartana."

"Yes. At any rate, that is all soldiers. You are to tell your companies about the new development, and I will make an announcement at dinner tonight. Dismissed." John said, and the three lieutenants, the scientists and the spirit energy specialists left the room, leaving Liz and John together.

"So…is it going to be okay now?" Liz asked John, who merely shrugged.

"Couldn't tell you. I'm hoping so. I'm training everyday to make sure I get stronger and strengthen the machine, at least until Corey returns."

"How strong do you think he'll be when he gets back?" Liz asked, smiling lightly.

"At this rate, I'm hoping at Derek's level. I haven't known him that long, but what I do know is that he's the most motivated person when it comes to training."

"Yes," Liz reassured. "Corey will be strong and hopefully, with the right help, he'll beat Darkine."

_******_

Liz breathed heavily as she faced John in the large, rocky terrain. They were about a mile away from the Rebel Army, and the two were training without stop. Liz had forced John to train her even more, so that she could get up to his level of physical power. Even with her Territory abilities, she wasn't nearly strong enough. John, too, wanted to get better then his current state of power, so he willingly agreed to train his friend.

"Your attacks are getting weaker, Liz. Are you really that drained after only six hours? Both Jade and Derek could fight for days without tiring, and from what I've heard, Corey was no different…and you want to be their replacement? Don't make me laugh!" He wasn't trying to be cruel, but he knew Liz needed a major psychological boost if she was ever going to be strong enough to lead the Rebel Army.

"Shut up!" She yelled, drawing two daggers from her belt and throwing one as she ran towards John. With her Territory open, the dagger flew towards John with deadly accuracy, but the soldier had to keen of eyes and reflexes to be hit by that attack. He quickly drew his twin hook swords and batted the dagger away, but Liz pointed at it with her fingers and the dagger bounced back and scraped at John's right shoulder.

"Impressive." John said with a smirk, but as the dagger came back to hit him again, he stabbed his hook sword into the ground and caught Liz's blade with one hand, "But not quick enough."

Angered, Liz ran at John and swiftly swung her right foot up to kick him in the jaw, but he merely stepped back and grabbed her ankle with his free hand. He swung his sword and stopped inches from her neck.

"You're dead." John said, letting go of her ankle and moving away, sheathing his blade, then the other that he had put into the ground.

"Damn it, all…" Liz grumbled, bring back her dagger and sheathing both of them, exiting her Territory with her mind, "What am I doing wrong?"

"You use speed to your advantage," John said calmly, "But against strong demons, that won't do you any good. You have to be flexible with both kind of attacks: speed and power."

"Right, right…" she got up again and smirked. "Let's go! One more round!"

_******_

John slowly exhaled the cigarette smoke that had built up in his lungs, finding himself once more staring at the night sky. He had been training with Liz for most of the day, and had still found time to check in with the scientists working on the new defensive system. Now, after finishing a late meal, he was enjoying what felt like his first few moments of relaxation.

He was thinking of Liz and her improvement throughout the past months. She was doing quite well, no matter what he told her. He knew she the kind of girl she was, that being she needed to get angry to push herself even further. Beyond her limits, just like Corey and Derek would have.

"But Derek's dead…and Corey hasn't contacted us for over three months. I hope Liz is doing okay with all of this…well, I know she isn't, but I wish she would realized that everything is going to be okay…and that I'm here for--"

John suddenly stopped, almost dropping his cigarette out of his mouth. It was all adding up in his head now.

_Do I…love Liz?_

The question oozed through his brain, and thought about the possibility. Just the other night he had asked her if she loved Corey…but why had he? Pure curiosity? It didn't seem that way. Not now…

_I guess…we do spend a lot of time together, especially now, but…_

Images of John's past now flooded his mind. Mixed feelings of happiness and heartbreak entered his thoughts.

Quickly, John shook away the thoughts and flicked the ash off his cigarette.

"What am I doing? I can't be thinking of stuff like that…not now…"

A long sigh escaped his lips as he took a long drag of his cigarette, staring up at the sky.

_Jennifer…what should I do?_

John closed his eyes, and began to reminisce about Jennifer Wolfe, his first wife.

******

The two had met one day on John's base. The man at the time was twenty-two years old, and was currently a Major in rank. This was a time of peace for most people. Darkine hadn't appeared yet, and John had been quickly making his way through the ranks in the marines. His hair was military short, and he was clean shaven. He was enjoying a cigarette alone outside the barracks, when a woman suddenly appeared.

She was a well built brunette, with gorgeous brown eyes that shimmered in the summer sun. John could tell she was a Lieutenant by her uniform, which as slightly unbuttoned at the top, revealing a white undershirt. She didn't even notice John at first as she pulled out a slim cigarette and stuck it between her red lips, and began digging for a lighter.

"Here." John said, smiling crookedly as he held out his own Zippo lighter.

The woman blinked and smiled, leaning in and letting the end of her cig catch the flame, exhaled, and slowly released the tobacco smoke.

"Thanks." She said with a small smirk.

John put his lighter back in his pocket and then extended his hand again, "I'm Major Jonathan Wolfe."

"Lt. Jennifer Higgins. A pleasure, Major." She said with the same smile, reaching out a small hand and squeezing John's. The strength behind that small hand caught John off guard, but he couldn't help but grin more.

"Just John will do. I haven't seen you around the base before, Lieutenant." John commented, exhaling smoke.

Jennifer smiled, "Just Jennifer will do, or Jen, if you'd like. I was transferred here from another base, so you'll probably be seeing me around more often."

John stepped a little closer. "I'd like that."

Jennifer did the same. "I bet you would."

And that was that. After that brief meeting, John and Jennifer seemed like they were destined for one another. They spent almost all their free time together. To no surprise, Jennifer was an amazing fighter. Often, her and John would spar with one another in hand to hand combat, and more often than not, Jen would win.

They both loved the time that they spent together, and soon began to love one another even more.

And two years after their first meeting, they were wed.

They lived on base together, and were happy. John hadn't had much of a family before he wed Jen. His father was marines like he was, but didn't have much time for him as a child. He was killed in action he a small battle in the middle east. His mother had passed away when he was younger from breast cancer.

Now, though, he really felt like he had a family.

And then Darkine appeared.

It all happened so fast, that John didn't know what to do. He was now a General in the marines, and was trying to lead troops through the attacks of what seemed like demonic forces that were blasting through his lines. Guns of any caliber weren't doing a thing to the stronger ones.

Jen was back at their home, but nothing could protect anyone at the base from what happened next.

A large horned being that resembled the devil from biblical books floated menacingly in the air. John was over a mile away, but could clearly make out the beast. It held it's right arm above its head and a black fire ball appeared, and he casually through it down at the base, obliterating it. The shockwave sent John thirty feet backward, breaking his arm with ease.

The man quickly got up and cried out for Jen, but deep down he knew she was gone. His whole world…gone in the blink of an eye.

Six months later he met Derek and Jade Maison, along with Liz Rain, and joined their Rebel Army, and quickly went up in their ranks, the whole time swearing to destroy the being known as Darkine, and avenge his fallen wife…

******

John slowly opened his eyes, realizing his cigarette had gone out into ash.

"Jen…what should I do?" John asked aloud, taking out his cigarette butt and tossing it out into the wind.

"John?"

The older general quickly turned around to see Liz standing a few feet away from him. She was draped in a cloak, the wind whipping at its edges.

"Liz…what're you doing awake?" John asked, wondering how long she had been standing there.

"I couldn't sleep…" she said quietly, her hands clenching the sides of the cloak, "Are you alright?"

John nodded. "Yes…I'm fine."

Both looked down at the ground to avoid the other's eyes. The wind began to pick up against John's back, as if pushing him to move closer towards Liz.

_Jen…_

Before John could think anymore, Liz had ran up to him and gently pressed her lips against his own. The male general's eyes widened at the suddenness of this, but slowly let his arms embrace her.

The wind suddenly stopped, and John couldn't help but think Jen was smiling down on him.

_You'd have wanted me to move on a long time ago, wouldn't you?_


	5. SideTracked

Heh...so I finally had time to write a new chapter. Been a busy month, with college and all. Oh well...to all my faithful readers (What...the six of you?) here is Chapter 5. A little shorter then usual, but it's a fun one.

**Chapter 5**

Side-Tracked…

"Remember back in the days when life was simple?" Lieutenant Evan Ray asked as he swung his right leg up high.

"What the hell does simple mean?" Lt. Frank Jacobs asked, blocking the kick with a steady left arm.

Evan smirked and jumped back. "Hard to believe that it's been over ten years since this damned war started."

Frank laughed. "Since when were you the one to get so reminiscent?"

"Who knows." Evan replied, walking towards his friend, their training session for the day over, "I mean, it seems like time has stopped. General Derek and Jade Maison are gone, and Corey has been gone for over six months now! And yet, through all of this, Darkine hasn't attacked at all."

"Right…" Frank said, putting his hands behind his head, "But I don't understand why you're asking about simplicity earlier."

"Think about it." Evan told him seriously, "Don't you think Darkine is just biding his time? Maybe…maybe waiting for Corey to get back?"

Frank blinked. "That doesn't make sense, though. Why wouldn't he just attack now, while were down men and only having General Rain and Wolfe to help us?"

"What? You saying I couldn't take on one of Darkine's Captains?" Evan asked, grinning a bit and lighting up a cigarette that he had kept behind his ear.

Frank laughed. "You wouldn't even be able to beat a Co-Captain! We'll just have to leave it up to Liz and John to beat a Captain while Corey's gone."

Evan quickly glanced around, and then leaned in closer to Frank, "Don't you find it odd, Frank?"

"What?"

"How our two generals have been spending a lot of time with one another?"

"Well, of course they are. They have to keep the army going--"

"--I mean, even after hours?" Evan said, with a sly grin.

Frank blinked again, but quickly caught on. "Aha…you don't think…that maybe…we might be getting _two_ General Wolfe's, do ya?"

"I think you are _both_ snooping into business you have no right snooping into!" Shouted a female voice from behind the two men, causing them to jump.

Lieutenant-Colonel Ellen Claire stood there, glaring with a dark look in her eyes at the two men.

"Oh…Uhh, hey Ellen. What's up?" Evan asked, smirking sheepishly, his cigarette between his teeth.

"If you two have the time to gossip, you have the time to train." Ellen said sternly, her arms crossed at her chest.

"Oh, come on, El. You know you're just as curious as the rest of us are!" Frank retorted, sitting down on a nearby rock, "Hey…you're Liz's friend. I'm sure you have some inside scoop on the two love birds."

Ellen rolled her eyes. "Even if I did, you two would be the last I told."

"Aw, you're no fun, Ellen." Evan said with a laugh, taking another drag of his cigarette, and then looking up at the sky.

_I really wish things would stay like this, but…until this war is over, that will never happen…_

******

Liz hummed softly to herself as she changed the young babe Cory. The boy was growing up much faster than she had expected him too, but then again, time seemed to be moving much quicker nowadays. She had stopped worrying about Corey as much, knowing that the young man was just fine.

"He's training hard, isn't he?" Liz asked the gurgling baby, who was now a little over 15 months old.

Where had the time gone? It seemed like only yesterday Jade had delivered the little boy, with Corey and Derek freaking out in the background, and John trying to calm them down as much as Liz was trying to calm Jade.

Liz couldn't help but laugh at the memory, but it soon was filled with a little sadness. Jade and Derek were both gone, but as Corey had promised, they would keep going. She had no doubt that everything was going to be okay, that Corey would defeat Darkine…but would he really need little Cory Maison's help?

_It's that damned prophecy's fault…_ Liz thought to herself, and then remembered the what Corey had told her when he had first thought of the idea.

"_This world is completely screwed up, Liz…it doesn't care that a child has to fight to help its survival…"_

Now, Liz couldn't help but think there was a double meaning behind that. Had Corey also been talking about himself? He was only nineteen years old…almost twenty…but he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. She wished she could help him bare some of that weight…she wished he'd _let_ her do that.

While she was lost in her thoughts, Cory had fallen fast asleep in his changing table. Liz blinked and couldn't help but chuckle, taking the small child to his crib and tucking him in. When she turned around, John was standing there, leaning against the door.

"John! How-how long have you been there?" She stuttered, feeling slightly embarrassed for some reason.

John smirked. "Long enough to see you staring off into space for five minutes. Care to step outside with me?" He asked, extending his hand for her to take.

Liz smiled softly and nodded. "I'd love too…"

******

The two stood atop of the Mobile Fortress's rooftop, staring out into the red sky. A chilly wind began to pick up, and John slowly removed his jacket and wrapped it over Liz's shoulders.

"Thanks, but if you're cold, I don't need it." She told him, smiling.

John smirked and shrugged. "No worries."

The two continued to just stare off into the sky, smiling and enjoying the others company. John slowly moved his hand over and took a hold of Liz's, causing her to look at him and smile. The two quickly moved to one another and kissed each other passionately.

The two hadn't made their relationship known to most of the soldiers in the Rebel Army. Both were afraid that it might cause a bit of uneasiness if a situation occurred that would jeopardize the other and the base. Liz had only told Ellen, one of her closest friends, about their relationship, and knew that the woman would keep it a secret.

As the two lovers shared their moment together, two pairs of peeping eyes watched in awe from below the metal hatch, which was barely only a few inches open.

Evan and Frank watched for a few more moments and then looked at each other, almost bursting into childish giggles unbefitting the two men of their middle twenties.

"So it _is_ true!" Evan whispered.

"I knew it!" Frank whispered back quickly.

Their small victory was quickly ended by both of them being pulled harshly down the four foot latter, causing the metal hatch to slam down loudly.

"What was that?" Liz asked quickly, moving away from John.

John blinked and glanced over towards the hatch, which was securely shut now. He walked over to it and lifted it up, only to find no one there.

"Huh…" He said, slightly confused, but merely shrugged it off and went back over to Liz.

***

"You idiots!" Ellen shouted at the two peeping soldiers, "What were you thinking, spying on the generals?!"

Evan and Frank glanced at each other and then back at Ellen. Both of them could only shrug and give her small, innocent smiles.

Ellen sighed and rubbed her temples. "Whatever…what's done is done…but if I find out you two told anyone else, you'll both be put on _permanent _latrine duty!!"

The way she said the last three words caused both Frank and Evan to jump back and give her fearful looks. With one final glare, Ellen swiftly turned around and walked away, leaving the two men to look at each other and break into laughter once more once she was gone.

"I called it." Evan said, smirking and sticking another cigarette between his teeth.

"Heh…well, I guess we can abide by what Ellen asked. Point is we know now." Frank said, smiling.

Evan nodded. "Right. Well, let's head out. I feel like a victory smoke!"

The two men laughed and went to enjoy the rest of the night, once again being thankful for the calmness of the past couple months.

******

Two more months passed, and they passed just like the other six had before them.

John and Liz trained together relentlessly, and at the same time worked out a better system for their defensives. And, at the same time, worked on trying to keep somewhat of a relationship.

Evan, Frank, and Ellen, the next three best fighters, also training vigorously, wanting to be able to help as much as possible whenever a battle was to take place. Also, they kept their secret of knowing John and Liz's secret, well…a secret.

Unknown to all of them, Corey trained even harder on his own without a days rest, hoping to get even stronger then his deceased best friend, Derek.

******

And then, one fateful day, their peaceful days ended in a flash.

"Sir!!" Yelled Evan, running towards the training ground where John and Liz were at, yet again.

"What is it?" John asked, breaking away from Liz in the midst of their training.

"Our scouts have detected a large squadron of Darkine's soldiers coming this way! And five of them are Co-Captains…one of them is a Captain Class!" Evan said in fear.

"What?!" Liz exclaimed in horror.

"Damn it." John grumbled, withdrawing his hook swords. "Evan. Get the troops ready. If we can, retreat the civilian fortress, and prepare the defensive systems to go full power at any notice. I will be taking the front line."

"Yes, sir!" Evan said, saluting and then running off.

John turned to Liz. "Let's see if our training for these past five months have paid off."

Liz nodded, but seemed unsure of herself. John smiled lightly, "Don't worry, Liz. We've both gotten stronger. We can do this."

"Good! So does that mean I can take a shower and get a haircut while you guys fight?" Yelled a voice from above them.

There, sitting on a large rock formation, was Corey Kartana, his sword in his right hand. His hair had grown nearly down to his upper back, and his clothes were torn apart. He no longer had a shirt anymore.

"C-Corey!!" Liz exclaimed. "You're back!"

"Sure am." Corey said, grinning. He leapt down from the boulder and landed beside the other two generals.

"Corey, do you know the situation right now?" John asked, sounding serious but looking relieved all at the same time.

"Yeah…I felt the Captain's energy miles away. I came back once I felt him go near the base. This guy isn't your normal Captain…I think he might be an Elite."

"An Elite?! We…we can't defeat an Elite Captain!" Liz said in a panic. Corey looked at her and smirked,

"Come on, Liz! This is _us_ we're talking about! You and me have fought countless foes before, and we're still alive, right?" He looked at the two of them, and John and Liz noticed his obvious confidence.

Whatever Corey had been doing these past eight months, he had gotten stronger while doing it.

"Let's go!" Corey yelled, withdrawing the Tetsaru, and racing off towards the Rebel Base, Liz and John following at his heels.


	6. A New Elite?

**Chapter 6**

_A New Elite?_

According to the scouts report, it would take the Demon's army an hour and a half to reach the Rebel Base at their current speed, giving John time to plan an attack in the Command Center. While he was giving orders, Corey had seemed completely relaxed, and had actually requested Liz to give him a haircut after he took a shower in his room.

"Corey, are you sure you should be so calm right now?" Liz asked, cutting off the long strands of hair he now had.

"No use worrying, right?" Corey said, his leg over his knee while he waited.

"Well…yes, there is! The Captain is an Elite. There's no telling what power he might have." Liz said, trying to remain calm at Corey's arrogance.

"I know that, Liz…but this is the perfect time to test my new techniques." Corey said with a grin.

"New? What are they?" Liz asked, suddenly interested.

"Nuh uh uh." Corey said with a laugh. "Can't ruin the surprise. You'll see…as I destroy this Elite bastard."

Liz sighed, but was a little relieved by Corey's confidence. She smiled as she finished his haircut.

"There you go, Corey." She said, handing Corey a mirror to check it out.

Corey grinned. "Nice, Liz. Looks great." He walked over to the sink in the bathroom and dunked his head in the water, flinging his head back and grabbing a bit of gel, spiked his hair. He walked over to his closet and grabbed a new t-shirt, already wearing new pants. Slipping on the shirt and his old gloves, he smirked at his friend.

"Well, let's kick it."

******

"Yo, John! The bad guys here yet?" Corey asked as he and Liz walked into the Command Center. John turned to look at him and nodded.

"Almost…they are about ten minutes away. The troops are already outside and awaiting their attack."

"Good." Corey said, "Let's head out there and show Darkine what we can do."

"Corey?" John asked, looking over to his friend. "What is it that you actually _did_ while you were gone. I mean it's been over half a year since we've seen you. Have you improved that much?"

Corey smirked. "I've grown enough in strength to handle this guy…but I still have a lot more to learn before I face Darkine."

"But…but you're going to stay, right Corey?" Liz asked softly. "You're not going to leave us again, are you? We all really missed you. Especially little Cory."

"Yea, Liz…I'm going to stay. I know that leaving on such short notice worried you all." Corey said, still smiling, "But no more talk. Let's go kick some ass."

******

Running out of the base, Corey, John, and Liz took their positions in the front line of the army. The soldiers were all morally boosted by seeing their old general there with them, and were ready to fight.

In another five minutes, Darkine's soldiers were directly in front of them, and the battle began.

The Rebel Army was just barely out numbered, but with the new defense system online, it evened out. Warriors wielding swords and guns all attacked the attacking demons with full force.

Corey was having no problem taking on the demons as they came at him. To Liz and John, his power seemed to have doubled in the time he had left the Rebel's to train.

"Take this, jerks!" Corey yelled with a grin as he slashed his way towards their commanding officer, who was still hiding in the back of the soldiers. Corey wanted to take him on and get the battle over with, knowing that once he was down, the other soldiers would retreat.

"Liz! John! You guys hold down the fort here! I'm going after the Captain!" Corey called out, hacking down another demon.

"Not a chance, Corey!" John said.

"What?! You two don't stand a chance against him!" Corey said, frowning.

"Not true! We've been training just as much as you these last months, and were going to show you we can fight just as well!" Liz called back, grinning at him.

Corey sighed and shrugged, running towards another flock of demons. "Fine! Let's see what you got!" He soon found himself head on at a gigantic demon, over twenty feet tall. He was also of a high class. A Co-Captain.

"Let's try this baby out!" Corey said, jumping up. Spiritual energy began to gather around his blade, and Liz thought he was going to attack it with a Spirit Slash, but she was shocked at what he did.

"Spirit Gun Blade!" When his sword collided with the demon, a blast of spiritual bullets surrounded the demon, blowing it to bits. Corey landed and grinned.

"Attack number one." He said to Liz, who had obviously never seen the technique before.

"Amazing!" She said, smiling at Corey.

"Thanks. The Captain's close, though. Stay on your guard." And he took off once again to the back of the enemy's line.

******

"So…you're the bad ass Captain that I've heard so little of." Corey mocked, his sword resting on his shoulder, and Liz and John at either side of him.

The Captain looked, well, weird. It was a human looking man, but he was draped in feminine clothing. He also had on a thick coat of make-up, and his brown hair went down to his lower back.

"Well, well. Corey Kartana. Word was you had disappeared." The Captain said, his voice light and feminine. "I must say I'm kind of glad you decided to join me today." He touched his finger to hips lips and winked at the warrior. "You're as cute as your pictures."

Corey blinked. "Uh…yea. That's weird. Sorry, but I'm not into guys."

"Oh, poo. To bad, I guess. I suppose I'll just have to kill you, and take your corpse home to play with." He said, smiling.

"I am _no one's _sex doll!" Corey yelled, looking both pissed and grossed out.

"Jeez, Corey…normally you're dying to get in bed with woman." Liz said, giggling lightly.

Corey looked at her in disgust. "Are you kidding me? This dude isn't even a real girl! Even if he was…he's hardly cute at all."

"I take offence to that, Corey Kartana." The cross-dressing Captain said scornfully. "Before you die, I suppose you should know my name. I am Crystal, the newest member of the Elite Captains."

"Newest member?" Corey repeated, frowning. "I thought Darkine only had three and that was it. Are you replacing Lee or something?" Lee was the Elite Captain that Derek had taken out before his death. The thought made Corey shutter lightly, but he kept his cool.

"Hardly. That weakling is nothing compared to me. You see, Lord Darkine genetically enhanced me using his Time Powers. My skill is equal to that of a five thousand year old S-Class demon."

"What?" John asked, frowning. "You mean Darkine can speed up the physical and demonic powers of a demon using his powers?"

"Why yes, Jonathan Wolf, but only once in a short while. Still, once I kill you three, there won't be anything stopping him from creating more and more, and then your little army will fall forever!" Crystal began to laugh, but stopped when she felt Corey's spirit energy begin to grow. After only a few seconds, a glacier of spiritual energy was growing out of Corey.

"I won't let that happen. This place is my responsibility, and no cross-dressing freak is going to put an end to it!" Finally, his energy finished growing. The sheer force of it made John and Liz move back a few feet.

"Do you guys mind…if I take him by myself?" Corey asked, holding his sword in both hands, "I want to try out my new abilities on him." "Uh…sure." Liz said in disbelief.

"Yea. Go right ahead, Corey." John replied, in just as much disbelief as Liz.

"Great." Corey said, smirking, "Ready, freak?"

"I…am not…a freak!!" Crystal screamed, and his demonic energy surged out of him. This blast of energy made both Liz and John lose their balance and fly backwards, John catching Liz before she could fall over.

"He's stronger then Corey!" Liz shouted, "We have to help!"

"No. I doubt we could do anything against a beast like him. Corey's our best bet."

And then the battle began.

Corey took the offensive and rushed at Crystal with top speed. Neither of his comrades could follow his movements as he seemingly appeared right in front of the Captain, and delivered a powerful punch directly in the side of his face. Crystal flew backwards from the impact and skidded against the ground.

The demon quickly caught his balance and leapt towards Corey, creating a large war fan out of mid air. The fan, folded up, was over five feet long. He swung it at Corey with tremendous speed, and all the boy could do was block with his sword.

"Bad move!" Corey shouted, blue spiritual energy flowing through the blade. "Spirit Gun Blade!" The bombardment of spiritual bullets surrounded the enemy and exploded around him, causing Crystal to cry out in a woman-like voice.

Corey leapt back and sighed quietly. "Is this really all you got? I was hoping to at least have a decent warm up!"

"Don't… mock me… brat." Crystal said, picking himself up. His dress had been tattered and torn from the attack. "I've only just started!"

"Is that right?" Corey asked, smirking. "From what it looks like, you've already lost."

"I told you…not too…**mock me**!!" Suddenly, Crystal's demonic energy began to change. It grew and expanded, and his entire body was enwrapped in it.

"What the--?" Corey asked, taking a step back. The energy was multiplying in strength, "That's not good…"

The demon Captain was soon in the shape of a snake, with a human upper torso. The snake part was over forty feet in length, and a dark green color. The fan was now opened, and had sharp points all around it.

"Oh, shit…" Corey grumbled to himself, preparing for the next attack, but it came quickly. Even in such a large form, the snake demon was even faster then before. It's tail struck at Corey with lightning-like speed, and hit him hard in his entire body. He flew backwards over thirty feet, plummeting into a boulder and destroying it in the process.

Using his tail, Crystal fished out Corey and coiled around him, trying to suffocate him in the process.

"**How does it feel, Corey Kartana?! You look adorable when you're suffering!**" Crystal roared, his voice booming over the area.

"I'm pissed, that's what I feel…" Corey said darkly, trying to break free out of the demon's grip, but it wasn't going well.

"Corey!" Liz cried, and both she and John ran towards him to rescue their friend,

"Stop!" Corey yelled, "Don't get involved!"

"But, Corey!" John tried to protest.

"Trust me on this one…" Corey said, grinning.

"Oh? Have you decided to let me have you?" Crystal asked, laughing.

"Oh, hell no. But I am pretty pissed I have to take these _things_ off..." Corey said slyly.

"**What things?!**" the demon roared. Liz and John were just as confused.

"Yea…I've had 'em on since I first got to this time…guess their getting pretty worn out. Oh well." Corey grinned and closed his eyes, then opened them once again.

"_Abides!!_" Suddenly, the entire earth began to shake. Corey grinned at the beast that entangled him, and soon his entire body was being absorbed by spiritual energy.

"Aaaahhhhhh!!" He screamed, the power of his own energy exploding hurting his body.

"What the… what on Earth is happening?!" Liz cried.

"Spirit Cuffs! I had completely forgotten! Derek put them on him at the start of his training! I had no idea he kept them on this long, for over a year!" John exclaimed, sounding both shocked and agitated that Corey was fighting with such a handicap the entire battle. "That fool."

The spiritual pressure grew and grew, until it ripped off Crystal's tail with it's sheer force. He screamed in pain, and Corey landed, soaked with its blood.

"Like it? I was saving it for a better fight, but I guess I didn't have much of a choice in the matter." Corey said, smirking.

"**I'll kill you!**" The demon shouted, lunging itself at Corey, the war fan still in his hand and ready to strike.

"Not likely…" Corey said with a grin. He then gripped his right wrist with his left hand, and extended both his index and his middle finger, shaping his hand like a double-barreled gun. Energy began to focus in both extended fingers.

"Now…attack number two." Corey raised his hand so his fingers were pointing at the oncoming demon.

"Double Barreled Spirit Gun!!!" He shouted, and unleashed two colossal sized spirit bullets at Crystal, who wined back to try and escape the blast, but it was too late.

The explosion of spiritual energy nailed Crystal right in the human part of his snake-like body, and with an explosion of power, left the Elite Captain dead in his tracks. The limp snake tail fell to the ground, leaving nothing left of the human-like body.

Corey smirked and sheathed his blade, walking over to John and Liz with a grin. "So…how was that?"

Liz was about to congratulate Corey, but John made it before her and socked him right in the side of the face, dropping Corey to the ground.

"What the…hell?" Corey asked, glaring up at John. "You go senile?"

"What the hell were you thinking?!" John roared. "Holding back like that? I've never seen such an immature move in my life!"

Corey bolted up and punched John back, getting him right in the forehead. "Idiot! I was just having some fun!"

"Moron!" John punched him again.

"Old man!" Corey yelled, swinging.

"Enough!" Liz shouted, throwing both her daggers in front of the two men to make them stop. "Enough."

"He started it." Corey snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It was because of his stupidity." John retorted.

"I don't care. Look, the point is, Corey beat an Elite Captain, which means that we are even stronger then ever. Darkine will have to think twice about dealing with us now, right?"

"I guess…" Corey said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Correct." John said. The two smirked at each other and, like men, shook hands. "Let's head back."

"Fine by me. I need another shower…snake guts and all…" Corey grumbled, and the three of them walked back to the base. They all felt confident about there soon to come victory…all except Corey, that is.

_Unfortunately…Crystal lied. I could tell…he was only at about Lee's level of power, making me only at about what Derek was before. Also…I don't think that was the last incident we'll have to deal with…I can feel something even stronger coming…_


	7. Returning Nightmare

**Chapter 7**

Returning Nightmare

Corey grinned as he held the young Cory Maison in his arms. The boy was over a year old now, and getting much bigger. He had a full set of hair, and was wearing normal looking clothes instead of the baby clothes Corey remembered him in before he left.

"Jeez…I missed a lot, didn't I?" He asked aloud as Liz walked into the room.

"Babies grow fast." Liz said, smiling and sitting down in a nearby rocking chair in her room. Cory was now residing in her room, as he had for the last year.

"Yea, but I hadn't expected him to grow this fast. I mean, look at him! He looks just like…just like Derek, but smaller." It was true. Cory had Derek's hair and face, but with Jade's eyes.

"Yes he does." Liz said, watching as the babies godfather held him. Cory yawned a little and smiled, curling himself in Corey's arms.

"Bedtime, I guess." Corey said sounding a little disappointed. He had been playing with the baby for most of the day.

A week had passed since Corey's grand return, and everything in the Rebel Base had been going wonderfully. The defensive system was now linked with Corey's spirit energy, and was stronger then ever. John had been working around the clock to getting more systems up, so Corey and Liz hadn't seen much of him, which, Corey noticed, seemed to sadden Liz more than anyone.

Corey laid the baby boy down in his crib and covered him with the blankets, then walked over to Liz's bed and sat down.

"So, Corey…I have a question for you." Liz said, sitting up in the chair and staring at her friend.

Corey glanced at her. "What's up?"

"Well…" Liz looked as though she was having trouble finding the right words to use. "You've gotten a lot stronger, I can tell…but is it enough to defeat Darkine with?" There was a pause as she stared at Corey, who looked like he was thinking hard.

"Well, Liz, to be honest with you I don't know. It's been so long since I've encountered Darkine, so I couldn't tell you. From what I can tell, I'm just about at Derek's strength when I first arrived here, but I know that that isn't enough to beat Darkine, but if Derek was here, I honestly think that we might've stood a chance against him." Corey sighed quietly and looked over at Cory's crib. Liz noticed this and looked back at her friend.

"Do you still intend on training Cory?" She asked softly, sounding worried.

Corey quickly shook his head. "No. Thinking about it that is a bad idea. I don't want my godson to have to deal with the stuff that Derek and I should've taken care of." He looked over at her and grinned, then held up his hand with all his fingers out.

"Five years. I give myself five more years of training, and then I think I'll be strong enough to take on Darkine."

"What?!" Liz exclaimed, but quickly quieted down, afraid of waking the baby. "Only five more years? Corey, it took Derek fifteen years to get as strong as he was! You've only been training for one year…"

Corey cut her off. "Yes, but Derek never used the Spirit Cuffs, and he wasn't in a race against time like I am. His only plan was to hold off against Darkine for as long as he could. I have to beat him. I've been driven this whole time to get stronger. Much stronger." He looked down at the ground, a look of burden in his eyes,

"Back in the day, I was so used to being the best. I beat Shura, and back then I was always stronger then Derek was…even if only by a little. Then I went to the Demon World Tournament, and was beaten by Yusuke. Then Darkine showed up and shoved be into the future, and then I found out Derek was way stronger then me. I was third in the running…now I'm second by default. It pisses me off that I've been so weak and arrogant about my skills."

"Corey, where is this all coming from?" Liz asked, standing up and walking over to him. "You were always confident, and used the fact that people were stronger then you as a motivator in a positive way, not like this."

Corey sighed. "I know that…I don't know. I've been holding this in for a long time, I guess. I feel so immature compared to you all, ya know?" He looked up at her and smirked, "Thanks for listening, Liz. I really did miss you."

Liz blinked and turned slightly red, "Y-yea…I missed you a lot, too, Corey."

Corey blinked at her and laughed. "No need to get all emotional on me, Liz." He said, smirking. "Anyways, could you watch the kid for me? I'm going out for a walk."

"Yea. Sure, Corey." Liz said, smiling slightly as Corey got up and began to walk out the door. "Uh, Corey?"

Corey stopped and looked back at her. "Yea?"

"Umm…have you…have you heard, you know, _him_ lately?" She asked, sounding uncertain.

Corey blinked and smiled very slightly. "No, Liz. I haven't. I guess you and John were right. It was all in my head." He said, lightly knocking on his skull. And without a second word, he turned around and walked off, leaving Liz watching him go.

"Corey…I hope your telling the truth."

******

Corey walked quietly out of the Mobile Fortress, hands behind his head as he did. He had left his jacket, gloves and sword inside, and was only wearing a t-shirt and jeans. The summer night air felt refreshing to his body after being inside for most of the day.

"Tomorrow I'll start training again. I've taken enough time off." He said to himself, then stopped and stared up at the moon. They were clearly in the Human World, or what used to be their world.

"Darkine…I will stop you. I swear." He said, making an oath right there.

"Sorry, Corey Kartana, but that won't be possible." Came a voice from behind him. Corey's eyes widened and he quickly turned around to see who was insulting him.

Right there, stood Derek Maison. He wore a pair of black karate pants, with a black shirt with the sleeves ripped off. Around his right arm was a wrapping of white bandages. In his hand was his usual katana. He looked exactly like he had nearly a year ago, except for one big difference: his eyes. His eyes were red, and with a look of blood lust in them.

"D-Derek? Derek!? Is…is that really you?!" Corey exclaimed, not seeming to notice the eyes of his friend.

"Yes, Corey Kartana, it's me." Derek said in a non-chatting tone.

Corey continued to look amazed. Finally, there was Derek. His friend that he thought he had lost in the battle against Captain Lee.

"Derek…why didn't you come back?" Corey asked, still sounding unsure that it was really his friend who stood before him.

"Because, Kartana, I didn't want to come back." Derek said, beginning to smirk.

"What? How come you're calling me by my last name?" Corey asked, frowning. Something didn't seem right. It was definitely Derek who was standing before him, but then again…not.

"I've lost all ties with you and everyone here, Kartana. I have no use for being on first name bases with you or anyone else." He held up his katana in a fighting position.

"Derek…no…" Corey said, taking a step back.

"Fight me, Corey Kartana. If you don't, I will _not_ hesitate to kill you. I've come here to officially break my bonds with everyone and anything involving my past." Derek said calmly, and began to walk towards Corey, his red eyes staring Corey down.

There was no mercy in them. Only the thirst for blood.

"Derek…" Corey said, but before he could do anything, Derek was behind him.

"I'll let you live for now, I suppose…only so that you can see what you have done. This is your fault, Kartana…" Derek's voice was so close to Corey's ear. Before Corey could move, Derek had bashed him in the back of the head with his katana holding fist. Corey's pupils shrank as he fell to his knees.

"Everyone here is going to die…" Derek whispered in Corey's ear as he faded out of consciousness. "Everyone. You…John… Liz… and my son…"

And Corey finally blacked out.

******

"What do you mean Corey's been knocked out?! By who?!" John roared as he ran down the hall next to a scout. John had been continuing his work on the defense system when a scout had rushed into the room and reported that Corey Kartana had been found unconscious with a blow to his skull.

"I'm sorry, sir! I don't who did it. I just found General Kartana outside while doing my rounds! I immediately called a medic and he was brought to the infirmary! I had someone get in contact with General Rain while I got you!"

John glared as he continued to run. _Corey's gotten extremely powerful since he first left the army! There is no way a lesser demon could have knocked him out in one blow! Damn it!_

The two ran to the infirmary and found Liz hovering over Corey's unconscious body. His head was wrapped in bandages, and he was sweating terribly.

"Liz…" John said, walking over to her. She looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"John…do you know…" Liz started to ask, but the other general cut her off with a shake of his head.

"No, but we have to assume the worst. You!" He looked at the scout. "We are now in a red-alert status. I want you to get every available soldier out on guard ASAP! Go!" The solider saluted and took off in a run. John frowned and looked at Liz,

"Liz…I need you to go and take care of Cory, okay? He could be in danger. This might be a full blown attack by Darkine himself."

Liz looked horrified. "Now?! But…but he took out Corey in one blow! If it really is Darkine, then…"

"…Then we have to get ready for anything. Corey will hopefully wake up soon, and he can help us fight. If it was Darkine, he probably caught him off guard. If we all work together, we can defeat him." John explained, trying to reassure her.

Liz still looked unconvinced, but nodded. "Okay. I'll protect Cory. Good luck John. Please…don't get killed. I--" But before she could utter another word, she took off to her room.

******

John was quick about getting ready for battle. He had already grabbed his hook swords and guns from his room, and was heading towards the front entrance of the bases, but was abruptly stopped as felt the force of an explosion of demonic energy, and screams of terror and pain coming from outside.

"Damn!" John swore, and quickened his pace. He rushed outside and slid to a stop, only took look in horror at what he found.

Soldiers lay dead around him. Fire was all around the area, and the smell of burnt flesh surrounded the area.

"Who did this…" John asked, looking around franticly and trying to find the source.

"Well, so the first one here is John Wolfe. That's to be expected…" Came the voice of the attacker. John spun around and his eyes went wide from shock. Derek Maison stood in front of him, smirking as he did. His katana was soaked in blood, and his blood lusted eyes were dead set on John.

"Derek…no, it can't be. You're…you're dead…" John stuttered, unable to keep his cool at the sight of his former friend and comrade.

"Believe it, Wolfe. You should have listened to Kartana when you had the chance." Derek said with a wicked grin.

"Why are you doing this, Derek?!" John shouted, gripping his blades tightly in his hands, "Why? Against your own people!"

Derek grinned even more. "I don't need to answer to you! Prepare yourself, Wolfe, for the end of your existence!" And Derek began to emit his demonic energy. The sure force of it was enough to push John back, and he knew he was screwed. Derek was five times stronger then he ever was.

_The only one who could even stand a chance against him is Corey, and he's knocked out! Goddammit… _John didn't have much time to think for once Derek had reached a certain level of power he rushed at John with incredible speed. All John could do was cross his hook swords to create a guard as Derek swung his katana down at him. The blades crashed together, and John was pushed back even more.

"Damn it, Derek! Snap out of it!" John yelled.

"Snap out of what, Wolfe? I now know what I have to do!" Derek said coolly, breaking away from his opponent, "The only way that I can live in peace is if I destroy every remaining link to my past…and that includes you!"

Derek let loose another flash of demonic energy and began swinging his katana wildly at John, trying to confuse him with his moves, but John wasn't an amateur swordsman. He defended against Derek's onslaught, but he knew he wasn't going to last much longer if he didn't do something.

As Derek moved for another attack, John saw an opening. With his left hook sword, he parried the attacking katana with the outer exterior of the blade, and then with his other blade, hooked it around the katana and shifted the two blades with his hand. Derek apparently didn't see that coming and lost control of the katana, and John swung his left blade, making contact with Derek's left shoulder. Blood spattered onto the ground, and John prayed that the battle would end, but to no avail.

"Nice move." Derek said, seeming to ignore the pain of the blow, "But not good enough."

With the katana still grappled in the right hook sword, Derek began to charge demonic power into his katana, and with a heavy swing, destroyed the hook sword by bringing his katana up towards the night sky.

"No…" John said, staring in disbelief.

"Good-bye, Jonathan Wolfe." Derek said without a sound of remorse. Before John even had time to swing his remaining blade, Derek plowed his own blade right into John's chest. The general's eyes widened as blood poured out of his chest and mouth. Derek withdrew his katana and turned away, leaving John to his death.

"No…not like…this…" John said trembling. He backed up and leant against the wall of the mobile fortress and withdrew his spirit pistol and fired three shots into Derek's back. The demon stumbled lightly, but then turned back around to glare evilly at his former friend.

"Foolish mistake." Derek said, and before John could even blink, Derek had moved in front of him and stabbed his katana into his chest once again, pinning him two feet in the air and into the wall.

John Wolfe stared at Derek, blood now trickling down from his eyes.

"W-why…?" John asked, and that was his final word. Derek walked away as John slowly died right there, pinned onto the wall, his body going cold, and then…his heart stopped beating.

John's soul left his lifeless body in search for the gates to Spirit World…

******

"Noo!!" Corey screamed as he shot up from the medical bed that he had been laying on. The nurse who was looking over him jumped and looked at her patient.

"General Kartana! You shouldn't be moving!" She exclaimed, moving to him to try and get him to rest, but Corey wouldn't have it.

"No. John…it can't be. Derek, damn it!" Ignoring the woman's protest, Corey jumped out of his bed and ran directly to his room. Busting open the door, he grabbed his sword, the Tetsaru, and it's sheath and threw it over his back.

"Derek…goddammit…" And he quickly ran to the last spot that he felt John and Derek's energy.

Unknown to Corey, Derek had already moved onto his next target…


	8. The Struggle of Life

**Chapter 8**

The Struggle of Life

Derek Maison slowly walked towards the residential mobile fortress. He knew the area well, having personally built the fortress himself. One by one, soldiers tried to attack their former leader, but all fell who came near him. Derek did not want to kill the soldiers…they were of no concern of his. What he wanted was to eliminate every part of his past that reminded him of his beloved…Jade Maison.

The thoughts of his wife haunted his past for the last year. He wanted desperately to rid his mind of the thoughts, but could do no such thing. As time went by, he slowly came to the realization that the only thing he could do was to destroy his past, and start anew. That meant only one thing: he had to kill all his friends and remaining family.

As he came to the wall in which he knew Liz resided, he raised his right hand into the air. Black fire began to enwrap itself around it, and shape into that of a black dragon claw. The black flames moved all the way up his arm and to his shoulder. His red eyes stared at the wall, and then he arched back and thrust his arm into it, leaving it nothing but rubble.

Derek could hear the cries of a baby coming from within more walls, and he slowly began to walk forward, but was stopped by a female figure.

"Derek!?" Liz screamed, holding her daggers in her hands. "No…say it isn't so…please!"

"Elizabeth Rain…you will also have to die." Derek said, grinning at her. "Then my son…"

"Your son?!" Liz shouted, interrupting the disturbed man's thoughts. "You'd kill your own son?! Have you gone mad?!"

Derek continued to smile and shook his head. "No, Rain. Everything is clear to me now. This is what I have to do." With his Black Dragon Claw still around his right arm, he slowly moved towards the terrified Liz, who could only step back and pray for a miracle.

******

Corey Kartana ran through the main gates of the mobile fortress, sword in his gloved hands. His slid to a stop and looked in horror at the sight he saw.

John, pierced to the wall by a katana, dead where he hung.

"No!!" Corey cried out, running over to him. He slowly reached his hand out and checked his vitals, only to find that they had stopped. With shaking hands, he withdrew the katana and caught John before his body hit the ground. Slowly he lowered him down to the dirt floor and closed his eyelids, and looked towards where he now felt Derek's demonic aura.

"Damn you, Derek! I… I won't hesitate. I will snap you out of this, or die trying!" And he took off, leaving John and Derek's katana where they lay, not looking back.

******

Derek held Liz by her throat with his left hand, grinning at her. She was covered in her own blood, having not laid a scratch on Derek, even in all her efforts. Her left arm was broken, and her whole lower half of her body was numb.

"Derek…please…" Liz begged.

"Begging won't do a damn thing in this world, Rain. Good-bye…" but before he could do anything, he felt a familiar spiritual energy rising behind him.

"Derek!!!" Corey roared, ablaze with blue spiritual power. His Tetsaru was outreached, and his eyes were mad with fury. Derek turned and looked at Corey, grinning at him evilly.

"I was wondering when you'd awaken…" Derek said, dropping Liz to the floor, leaving her gasping for air until she finally passed out. Corey winced at seeing her, but kept his full attention on his old best friend.

"Derek…I don't understand. Jade would not want you to do this!" Corey yelled, swinging his sword in the air. This seemed to anger Derek, as he glared darkly at his former friend,

"What Jade would want? I'm sure if Jade had her way she would be alive right now!" Derek retorted.

Corey winced and looked down at the ground. "Derek…I cannot apologize enough for what happened to Jade. If you have to kill anyone here, just let it be me. I will gladly accept it as punishment for letting your wife die."

"No, Corey…you will die, but so will everyone else who was ever involved in my past. Including my son." Derek said, not seeming the least bit remorseful.

Corey's eyes widened. "Derek, you're insane! You'd kill your own son!?"

"It has to be this way, Corey. Now…" His demonic energy began to rise as he spoke, "Let's settle this Corey. Right here, right now. If you can actually kill me, then you'll be strong enough to lead this army. If not, it is doomed, just like the rest of your friends. I presume you saw the fate of John Wolfe?"

Corey grit his teeth, his own spiritual energy rising. "Yea…I did…but this isn't you Derek! You have to snap out of it!"

Derek raised his Black Dragon Claw and pointed it at Corey. "Enough talk. Fight me, Corey Kartana. Show me what you've accomplished."

"Fine, Derek. If that's the only way I can snap you out of this…bring it on!"

And the two friends charged at one another.

The two struck at one another with lightning like speed. Derek's Black Dragon Claw, causing a collision of spiritual and demonic energy, caught Corey's Tetsaru. Breaking apart just as quickly as they collided, the two ran with each other, staring the other down as they did, looking for a weak spot. Both fighters were well skilled, but Derek had experience over Corey, something that the younger man knew would play a factor in this fight. Sliding to a stop, Corey's blade gathered spiritual energy, and he swung at Derek, who once again caught the sword.

"Spirit Gunblade!" A bombardment of spiritual bullets surrounded Derek, taking him off guard. Corey broke away once the attack was unleashed, and watched to see if it was enough to defeat him, but it was a small hope. He knew Derek was to strong to be taken down by such an attack, and it was true.

After the attack had diminished, Derek stood there with only his shirt ripped up from the Spirit Gunblade. Corey cursed lightly but ran right back at him, swinging his sword. Derek parried with his Dragon Claw, and in his left fist a blaze of fire grew.

"Shit!" Corey yelled, trying to move away but Derek held onto the Tetsaru.

"Fist of the Mortal Flame!" Derek roared, and punched Corey with the fiery fist directly in the stomach. He let go so that Corey could be thrown through the air and crashing down onto the hard dirt ground. He swiftly jumped back up and held the Tetsaru in his hand, but knew that sword techniques would not be the downfall of his former best friend.

"Allow me to show you what comes from true darkness, Corey!!" Derek roared, and more black energy began to pour out of him. Slowly, the Black Dragon Claw began to expand around his body, until finally it coated him like a plate of armor.

"Black Dragon Armor…the true extent to the Dragon of the Darkness Flame." Derek replied coolly, grinning even more wickedly than before.

"Fine…no holding back, right Derek?" Corey asked, sheathing the sword behind his back.

"That's what I've been telling you, Corey." Derek replied, still grinning at him. "I've been waiting for this day for a long time, you know."

"What's that supposed to mean? You've been wanting to fight me?" Corey asked, frowning, "Because I'd have gladly challenged you to a spar."

Derek smiled and shook his head. "No, Corey. A spar wouldn't be good enough. For the longest time I've wanted to test my skills on you, the one person whom I've never truly gotten to fight. A no-holds fight to the death."

"That's crazy, Derek, and I know you've never wanted that. It's the pain inside of you that's causing you to think like that!" Corey switched hands with the sword and slowly raised his right hand, extending his index finger,

"But like I said…I don't have a choice right now. I'll snap you out of this, even if it kills the both of us!" Spiritual energy gathered into Corey's finger and he aimed at his friend, who was holding up his demonic claw, ready to guard.

"Spirit Gun!!" Corey shouted, and an enormous blast of spirit energy erupted from Corey's finger, hitting Derek square in the Black Dragon Claw. Derek grunted and began to get pushed back, gripping the gigantic spirit bullet with his one claw.

_Come on…_ Corey thought to himself, still sending energy at the bullet, trying to break the Black Dragon Claw with his Spirit Gun.

"You… have improved… but it isn't… enough! Dragon of the Darkness Flame!!" Derek roared, and the Black Dragon Claw transformed into the Black Dragon itself. The dragon roared and began to push back the spirit bullet.

"No!" Corey yelled, still trying to push back the bullet.

"Sorry, Kartana, but you're still no match for me!" Derek yelled, grinning wickedly.

"Fine then!" Corey roared back, watching as the dragon pushed the bullet back more quickly. "Spirit Gun…Double!!" A second bullet was then emitted out of Corey's right index finger, sending it straight into the dragon. The blue bullet hit the dragon square on, doubling the size of the original bullet.

"Double? So, you _have_ improved your skills!" Derek said, smiling darkly. The dragon and the two bullets fought with one another, until finally they negated each other and disappeared before the two fighter's eyes.

"I'm not going to let you win, Derek. I'm gonna keep kicking your ass until you finally realize what your doing is insane." Corey said. He grabbed the hilt of his sword with both hands and charged at Derek, who began gathering energy into his own hand, forming a sword made of pure black fire.

"The Sword of the Darkness Flame. I guess I never did show you this technique either, did I Corey?" Derek asked, grinning at his running friend.

"Can't say that you have!" Corey yelled, swinging his own sword at Derek, who parried with the demonic energy sword, "But that's just a copy! Yusuke told me all about how Hiei was the one to use that technique! In fact, that seems to be all that you do! Steal moves from others!" Corey grinned at Derek and swung the blade again.

Derek parried once more. "True, but doesn't that go the same for you, Corey? You and I both learned from our teachers and their abilities, and then tweaked them to our own advantage." He replied, tapping the swirling black darkness that was now his body.

The two began swinging their blades at one another with speeds that neither of them knew the other had. Corey had seen how much more powerful Derek had gotten since he had left, and knew that he was still not strong enough to actually defeat him. Derek knew this too. Even with Corey's new abilities and strengths, their difference in power would be to great for him.

"It's no use, Corey…you can't beat me." Derek said calmly and broke away from his friend. His sword vanished into the air. "Do you know what the true difference between us is?"

"What? The fact that I haven't lost my mind?" Corey snapped back.

"No…the true fact is…" The Black Dragon claw resumed its form around Derek's arm. "You rely to much on that weapon of yours!"

Derek, with speed that Corey was unable to follow, appeared right in front of his former best friend and gripped the blade of the Tetsaru with his claw. Corey tried to move away, but it was no use. Derek had too good of grip on it for him to get away with his sword.

"Derek no!" Corey yelled, still trying to fight back.

"Say goodbye to your precious piece of metal, Corey!"

Corey quickly let his left hand drop from the sword's hilt and began to charge up his Spirit Gun again. He quickly took aim, but just as he shot the bullet, he lost his balance and fell to the ground. As he landed on the ground, he saw before him shards of metal spreading over the ground. In his right hand was a broken sword. He looked over at Derek, who was holding his stomach from the point blank Spirit Gun. The shot had made a strong impact on him, breaking part of the Black Dragon Armor, and he was now bleeding from his abs.

He slowly looked down at Corey and grinned. "So much for that…" He said and began to move towards him. Corey could already feel the effects of losing his sword, and he remembered at that moment what Gero, his old master, had told him about the legendary blade.

"_The sword itself will make you stronger, just as you do the sword. Use it to your advantage, and you will be able to defeat anyone." _Gero's words echoed in Corey's mind as he got back up.

_I don't know if I can beat Derek without the Tetsaru. Damn! But I can't just give up!_ Corey glared at Derek and spiritual energy flowed around him. It was weaker then before, and both fighters knew this. Nonetheless, Corey charged at Derek and swung his fist. Derek merely blocked with his arm and punched Corey straight in the gut with incredible speed and force.

"Gah!" Corey cried, getting hurled backwards into the Mobile Fortress. He slid to the ground and began to hack up blood.

"Shit…" Corey said aloud, staring is enemy in the eyes, but then they slowly moved there way from Derek and to something that caught his eye. Derek's katana, flickering from the reflection of the moon, and laying next to John's body. An idea suddenly popped into his head, and he smirked. He then turned to see Derek walking towards him, grinning with his new wicked smile.

"What will you do now, Corey? You're weak, and you know it." Derek calmly told his former friend, the Black Dragon Sword held in his hand.

"I still have a few tricks up my sleeve…" Corey said, struggling to stand. Holding up his right hand, he began to focus his energy once again to form his trusty Spirit Gun, aiming it towards Derek.

"Not this again, Corey…you know this won't beat me." Derek said dully.

Corey grinned. "Maybe…maybe not!" He then aimed shallow, towards Derek's feet. "Spirit Gun!" The blue blast of spiritual power shot out of his finger and hit the dirt ground below Derek, sending dust and debris into the air. Using Derek's confusion to the obvious miss, Corey darted forward and before his enemy could react, grabbed the katana with his right hand.

Just as in the Demon Realm Tournament, Corey once again felt the demonic energy from the blade enter his blood stream, and his energy began to change drastically. The mixture of spirit and demonic energy emerged from his body, creating a golden aura around the young warrior, causing Derek to step back in surprise.

"The Sacred Energy… Corey, you bastard…" Derek knew now that with this power, Corey was easily his equal. What he didn't know, was how long the human teen would be able to sustain the energy. Derek's powerful dark demonic energy was pumping through his veins, and he could already tell it was taking his toll on him.

_Five minutes…_ Both warriors thought in unison, as if they could read the other's mind.

_I have five minutes to beat Derek's face into the pavement, or I'm screwed…_ Corey thought to himself. Derek's demonic energy was burning his blood and skin, small cuts emerging from under his skin, but he merely ignored them.

"Bring it!!" Corey roared as he readied the katana and launched himself towards his friend, the katana and Black Dragon Sword colliding with incredible force, causing an energy shockwave to blast through the area.

Corey had never felt this kind of power before, and he loved it. The feeling of dominance in a battle…it was a feeling that Corey hadn't felt for a long time since he entered the future. Sure, he had beaten the so-called Elite Captain from before, but he still wasn't stronger than Derek or Darkine, but now…

"What's wrong, Derek?" Corey asked as he swung the katana, barely missing Derek's right arm, "Can't keep up?"

Derek smirked and countered with the energy sword. "Don't get cocky, Corey. Once again you're on borrowed power…and time."

The insult, as true as it was, angered Corey and he swung the katana once again towards Derek. Although a master swordsman, Corey wasn't proficient with a katana. In fact, he had very little training with the weapon at all, so all he could do was use it like a long sword, but Derek knew all about his weapon, both advantages and flaws.

_I can't beat him with blades…guess I'm going to have to do this the old fashion way! _

Corey suddenly fell back from the melee and sheathed the katana within his belt loop. Derek, seeing that Corey was done with blades, made the energy sword disappear and held up his fists, ready for hand-to-hand combat.

"Can't handle the sword, Corey?" Derek asked with a dark smile.

"Nah…I would just rather beat you down with my own two fists!" Corey grinned cockily, rushing his friend and delivering a powerful punch towards his face, but Derek blocked with his left arm, sending a counter attack with his own right hand towards Corey's gut. The blow hit, but Corey took the chance and made a heavy uppercut below Derek's chin, sending the demon up into the air. Taking the advantage of the fight, Corey leapt up after his former friend and began to deliver a pummel of blows into his abdomen, where the Black Dragon Armor had been destroyed from his previous attack.

"Snap out of it, Derek!!" Corey yelled as he continued to punch his opponent.

"There's…nothing to…snap out of!" Derek regained his composure and grabbed both of Corey's wrists with either hand and began to channel demonic energy into both arms.

"What the--?" Corey asked, bewildered.

"Time to die! Double Dragon of the Darkness Flame!!" The black flames began to fury around Derek's arms. Knowing he was in trouble, Corey quickly kicked Derek with all his might in the neck, causing him to lose his grip over the human boy. Both fell to the ground, but Derek continued to ready his attack.

"Fine…let's play with energy!" Corey shouted, "Spirit Gun Double!!" The charge took no time at all. Corey merely held up both his hands and extended the index fingers and shot the two sacred energy bullets at Derek's Black Dragon. The energy of both fighters hit one another and a battle of demonic and sacred energy began to explode in the air, until, to Corey's great relief, the Sacred Energy defeated the demonic. The two bullets flew with intense speed, to fast for Derek to dodge, and made two direct hits.

"Derek!" Corey shouted as he watched his friend fall backwards onto the ground. Although he had won, Derek was still his best friend. He started to run over to him, but suddenly his body lashed with pain.

"Gah!" Corey fell to his knees, coughing up blood as he did. The Sacred Energy was too much for his body to handle, and now he was suffering the repercussions. "Damn…it…" He slowly moved his hand to undo his belt, not having enough strength to actually take out the katana. Blood squirted out of the pores in his body, causing Corey to cry out in pain. Finally, he flung off his belt and Derek's katana fell to the floor next to him.

The rain was falling harder now as Corey lay in the mud outside the Mobile Fortress. He didn't have the strength to get up anymore. Every ounce of spiritual energy seemed to have been seeped out of his body, and his physical strength was used up as well. All he wanted to do now was pass out, but then remembered Liz still in the destroyed bedroom of baby Cory.

"Shit…I gotta…move…" Slowly, he crawled through the mud towards the room that was over half a mile away from his spot. He crawled past Derek's sizzling body. It hadn't moved since the attack of two Sacred Bullets.

_I'm sorry Derek…there…was no other way…_ Corey thought as he felt tears fall from his eyes. His best friend for years: dead by his own hands. Now he had two more friends to bury, one whom he had buried before.

"Thinking your enemy is defeated before you even check the body? That's amateur of you, Corey." Came a voice from behind. Corey's eyes widened as he slowly turned to see Derek slowly standing up from the ground, the Black Dragon Armor gone. His right arm was mangled, and his chest had a large cavity in it. Blood poured out from his body, but he still managed to stand.

"Derek…you're…alive…" Corey began to hack up blood again, his internal organs having been injured during the battle, as well.

"Yes…but I have to admit, my friend, that was quite the attack. Anyone lesser then myself would have been incinerated. You'd have the right to brag, if I wasn't going to kill you." Slowly, Derek walked over and picked up his katana from where Corey had left it, and began to walk over to his human friend.

_Damn…damn!! I'm going to die! I'm really going to fucking die!_

The thoughts echoed through Corey's mind as Derek struggled to get to him. He knew Derek was on the brink of collapsing, but still he pursued him.

"Derek…you don't have to do this!" Corey yelled, trying to reason with him.

"But I do, Corey…it's the only way to make this pain stop." Derek said quietly, still walking towards his old friend.

"The pain? The pain of losing Jade, I know! But you still have your son, dammit! He still needs you! You still have a family!"

Derek's eyes widened, but he continued to move. "You don't understand, Corey…"

"The hell I don't!" Corey roared, getting onto one knee. "I know what its like to lose a family! I came fifteen years into the future, only to find out that my whole family was dead! You are the closest thing I have to a family now, Derek! Goddammit, you're like my brother!!"

The last words that Corey said seemed to hit Derek. He stopped in his tracks, only to stare at his best friend.

"Corey…"

"Derek!! Wake up!!"

"Die!" A new voice screamed from out of nowhere. Corey and Derek both turned to see Liz throwing five daggers directly at Derek. Being too shocked to move, all five hit Derek in his side, leg and arm. He cried out in pain, and slowly began to waver in his steps. Finally, he fell to his knees and looked at Corey in pain.

"I'm sorry, my friend…" The words that he uttered, the way that they sounded was different then before. Corey knew that his best friend had returned to him, only to be felled by Liz.

"Derek!!"

And Derek fell to the floor, followed shortly by Corey, both having finally succumbed to the pain of the battle.


	9. Aftermath

**_Chapter 9_**

_Aftermath_

When Corey awoke, the first thing he felt was the incredible pain that racked his body. Knowing he was in the medical bay, having been there many times before, he quickly looked around to see who was with them. He was relieved when he saw it was Liz, her arm in a sling and bandages around her forehead. She hadn't noticed he had awoken yet.

"L-Liz?" Corey asked, finding it hard to talk. She jumped at his sudden voice and looked over at him with relief.

"Corey! You're awake!" She said, smiling widely.

Corey nodded carefully, trying not to make the pain come back from moving. "Yea…what happened? How long was I out?"

"Three weeks. You've been in a coma ever since your fight. The doctors and I were afraid you weren't ever going to wake up. You had all your ribs broken, and your left arm is sprained. Not to mention you were bleeding everywhere when I finally got you back."

"Three weeks? But…wait! Where's Derek?" Corey asked, getting up a little quicker. He found that his upper body was mostly covered in bandages.

Liz got a bitter look on her face. "He's not here. He left one week ago."

Corey looked confused. "What? What about his injuries?"

"We took care of them…although no one was really to keen on it. If it wasn't for your persistence, you talk a lot in your sleep, I would have killed him right there."

Corey's eyes widened. "Liz! How could you?"

"He killed John, Corey!! Have you forgotten??" She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. "One of my best friends and yours…he killed with his own two hands! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Of course it does." Corey said sadly, looking down at his blankets. "But that wasn't the real Derek and you know it. He was…it was like he was possessed."

"Don't cover for him, Corey. He tried to kill his own son, for gods sake!" Liz shouted.

"I know!" Corey yelled back, but his voice quickly calmed. "I know…but he told me that, it was because of the pain. The pain of losing Jade. He loved her more then anyone loved anyone, Liz. You know that and I know that. I don't think…that he really wanted to do that. Before he fell, I saw the old Derek again. The true Derek."

The two were quiet for a moment, not looking or speaking to one another, until finally Liz spoke up again.

"I'm sure that he went to see Jade's grave. You can go there, after you've recovered a bit more."

"Thank you, Liz…" And with those final words Corey drifted off to sleep, to worn out to say or complain about anything else, leaving Liz to cry alone for the loss of John Wolfe.

******

One week later Liz finally allowed Corey to get out of his bed and wander about, but he was still forbidden by her to leave the area. His body was still to weak to make the long journey to Jade's resting place, but he knew that Derek would be there waiting.

The damage that the two friends had caused was beyond what Corey remembered. Nearly all the men in the Rebel Army were rebuilding one of the destroyed Mobile Fortress's. Having to walk with a cane, Corey could only watch as his troops worked diligently. Some of them would give Corey a cheer for saving them, but the young general merely smiled and waved them off, not really wanting to accept praise for what he had done.

His body was still giving little tremors of pain every so often, but he knew with a couple more days of bed rest, he'd be ready to make his journey to see Derek again. His spiritual energy had made an almost complete recovery, but he was still at a lost.

_Liz said that she collected the hilt of the Tetsaru, but the pieces were all too small to find. Damn…what am I going to do?_

He knew his body wouldn't be able to handle another round of Sacred Energy. The last batch that he had nearly killed him. His body and mind were to weak to handle such an incredible power, and he had come to terms with that. What he needed now was a new power. Without the aid of his sword, he wouldn't be able do nearly as much as he used too.

_Maybe Arthur can help…but I don't want to see him yet. I got to see Derek._

******

After another four days of rest, Corey's body had nearly been healed to its top physical form. Only the bandages around his ribs were still there, but they didn't hurt nearly as bad anymore.

At the moment, before he went to go search for Derek, Corey sat with his godson, cradling him in his arms. Cory had gotten much bigger, being one year old. He had a full set of hair, dark brown like his father's, and green eyes like his mother. Corey couldn't help but be proud at the little demon child: Proud and relieved. A while ago, Corey was afraid that the baby was the Maison in the prophecy that Darkine had proclaimed, but now that Derek was alive…

"Let's just hope your daddy doesn't flake out again, eh?" Corey said to the gurgling baby. At that moment, Liz entered the room with a fresh bottle for the baby boy.

"I'm not drinking that again." Corey teased with a laugh.

Liz smiled at him and took the baby from the general and cradled him in her arms, feeding the child.

"So…when are you leaving?" Liz asked him while holding Cory.

"In about an hour. I can't wait any longer." Corey informed her, standing up from the chair he was sitting in.

"I know that you still trust Derek, Corey, but…I'm sorry, but I cannot. He killed John and for that…I'm afraid I can never forgive him." Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she stared at Corey, who sighed quietly, nodding.

"I understand, Liz. Trust me, I do. But I know Derek. I saw the good in him again. He wasn't going to kill me; I saw it in his eyes. I'll prove that to you. I promise."

******

Corey smiled as he felt the warm breeze of the plains hit his face as he ran. He wore his black leather jacket and a brown t-shirt, with a pair of jeans on his lower body. On each hand was a black leather fingerless glove, and on his feet were a pair of black sneakers. His hair was spiked up, and his silver necklace gently tapped at his chest with every step.

The trip itself only took about six hours while running. He knew the location well, having visited Jade's tomb often. He also went to visit Derek's as well, even though now that was pointless. His friend was alive, and with luck would be willing to join their cause to stop Darkine once again.

Just as he had predicted, Derek was standing over the grave. He wore a pair of black karate pants with a red belt, and a black tunic with the sleeves ripped off. His hair was flat on his head due to the rain that had recently passed, leaving the sky a light red color like the sunset.

Corey slowly came to a stop and stared at his grieving friend, who made no notion that he noticed him.

"Derek…" Corey said, unsure of what to actually say to the man.

"Hey, Corey…took you long enough to get here." Derek said in a flat tone.

Corey smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry. I was in a coma for about three weeks and Liz wouldn't let me leave until I had fully recovered."

"How is she?" Derek asked without looking back at him.

"She's fine. Derek. I'm sorry, but she doesn't trust you…" Corey said, putting his hands in his jacket pockets.

"Understandably. I did things that no one should be forgiven for. Why did you come here, Corey?"

Corey frowned and walked up to his friend, standing next to him, but didn't make eye contact. "Because, Derek. You're my best friend and my comrade in this battle. You and I both need to fight to save the worlds."

Derek sighed and raised his right hand to look at it. "For the last eight months I've only caused destruction, Corey. What gives me the right to help save lives now?"

Corey smirked and jabbed his thumb into his chest. "That'd be me. I'm commanding general of the Rebel Army, and I think that I can trust you. If I say that you can help us fight, then that's all there is to it."

Derek let out a hollow laugh. "That simple, eh?"

"Yeah. That simple."

There was a long pause between the two. Derek finally looked down at the grave and frowned. "She isn't in Spirit World, is she?"

Corey paused for a moment, then shook his head. "No, Derek. Not yet, and she won't be able to until we defeat Darkine and restore the balance of the three worlds." He lifted his hand and placed it on his friend's shoulder. "So…what do you say? Ready to fight for us again?"

Another pause occurred, but finally Derek turned to Corey with a smile and nodded. "If it will finally let Jade and John rest in peace, then yes. Let's beat Darkine…together."

Corey grinned and held out his hand. "For love."

Derek grinned back and clasped his hand on Corey's. "For war."

The two looked at each other, and then began to laugh. They laughed out the pain of the last year, the joy, and everything that they had missed from one another's lives. Finally, the laughing ceased and Derek looked down at Jade.

"I'll set your soul free soon, my love. I swear." Derek looked back at Corey, "So…what do we do?"

Corey grinned. "Well, we have two things we have to do before we take on Darkine. Firstly, we need to free the Spirit World. We'll need their help, and I'm sure we're strong enough to take on a few Captains."

Derek nodded in agreement. "Looks like you've learned to be a strategist, Corey. A year ago you would have said to just storm Darkine's base…wherever that is."

Corey shrugged. "What can I say? I've grown up a bit."

"Right. So…what's the second thing?"

"Actually, that was the second thing."

"So what's the first?" Derek asked, raising a brow.

"What? Don't remember?" Corey asked. Derek shook his head, causing his friend to smile dryly. "We have to fix my damn sword!"

The two friends, Corey Kartana and Derek Maison have finally been reunited, meaning the prophecy can be complete, but how can the two heroes fix Corey's destroyed blade, one of the sources of his power? And what of Derek, who is hardly trusted by anyone besides Corey in the Rebel Army? All these questions will be answered in the final installment of The Spirit Detective Archives: War's End.


End file.
